He did a great job about explaining that this was not a works-based theology, and he was not cheapening the grace that we have in Christ, and the message was a very good motivator to do that very thing that the Bible instructs in Philippians 2:2.

However, when Galatians 5:19-20 (“that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”) comes out, it is often used to “separate the sheep from the goats” and cause one believer to declare that other belivers will not be saved.

Is it possible that “salvation” is different from “inheriting the Kingdom“?  Strongs helps because most instances of the greek word include a true inheriting what is yours by right, something of value that you take ownership of, but there is also the concept of “being a partaker of” or to paraphrase, “to experience”.

My mind goes nuts when Christians say “the Bible says this, and the Bible says that, and I’m just preaching the Bible!” (totally ignoring the seeming contradictions).  My nature instists that I look for a hidden truth that will bridge the gap, remove the conflict between scriptures, and lend a logical explanation to non-christians who arm themselves with defenses about christians being hipocrytical, judgemental and gullible (accepting too much on faith).  Yesterday I expressed my suspicions to two other pastors, who congratulated me on being part of the “1% of Christians who understand the difference between salvation and inheritance”.  (now I feel elite…. it’s always nice to say that the other 99% have it wrong….pride….religion)

So here’s the scripture that came to me while I was in the shower, after asking God to help me understand this concept.

1. The Prodogal Son:  It’s in Luke 15, if you want to look it up. Concepts:  The son blew his inheritance by turning to the pleasures of the world, but he never stopped being a son.  He was part of the family, and returned with full acceptance, but the father said to the faithful son, “all that I have is yours”.  In essence, he was saying, “Stop complaining about your brother, whom I have accepted back.  His inheritance is gone, but we will still have him here in our family, in relationship, and allow him to enjoy the benefits of membership, without ownership.”

2. Joseph, after he was sold into slavery, worked out his salvation.  His faithfulness to God in all his crazy situations EARNED him great authority or inheritance in Egypt, when God’s chosen people (Joseph’s family) who did not earn squat, but in fact had tried to harm Joseph, only got to enjoy membership and provision, not authority.  They were rescued from destruction even after thier evil actions toward Joseph: that’s a picure of grace!

3.  All the verses in the Bible like this one: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Rev. 22:12, and many others) clearly give a concept of higher reward for those who faithfully “work out ther salvation…”.  How can you have levels of reward if the Kingdom is like an on/off switch, saved or unsaved.

4. Luke 23:43 where the [undisputed] criminal defends Jesus to the accusing other criminal, Jesus says those famous words.  ”Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  Did Jesus lie?  Didn’t that man have a bad lifestyle?  Did he even repent before he died?  He simply identified with Christ.  Jesus did not say, “surely, you will inherit the Kingdom”.  The gift of salvation through the shed blood of Christ and a heart turned toward him was sufficient for entry INTO the Kingdom, and I believe it still is today.

More and more, as we learn how big the Universe is, I hear believers talking about God giving us authority over his creation, judging angels, ruling in the new Millennium, etc.  I don’t have all that figured out, but here’s what I do believe:

1.  The blood of Jesus is rich and generous, and the gift of salvation is based on HIS action grace to our choice.

2. Inheritance of the Kingdom at any level should be motivation enough to leave any lifestyle of sin, or justification of it.

3. I would never say anthing to cause people to question their salvation, other than getting them to say the prayer again if they never remember doing it.  The enemy will use judgement based arguments to cause believers to give up the fight, if he can convince a christian that some sin will keep him out of the Kingdom.

4. God alone is qualified to judge the heart.

No Joke.

I have this pair of leather shoes with rawhide laces, and they’d always come untied unless I’d tie a double knot.

I’ve been proud of myself for my entire life for being able to tie my shoes so fast.  I have always done it the normal way.  In fact, I used to look at the people who made a loop on both sides and then tied them with a  a square knot as sort of dumb, or slow.  Probably because it takes so long to do it that way, and I clearly knew a better way.  I think that I once found out that the slow way took longer to untie as well, and had written it off as useless years ago.

So here I am at 41 years old, and for the last 9 months I’ve been tying my rawhide laces the normal way, and then doubling it, and frankly, it just looks goofy for an adult business man to walk around with clearly double-tied laces–this big old knot of rawhide on some fairly expensive shoes.

For some strange reason, I have hit the season of re-evaluating EVERYTHING in my life, and I am glad to admit that I just learned to tie my shoes the slow way, the way that looks and functions much better.  I no longer look like the goofy computer geek with one untied shoe or two double-tied shoes.

Truth is, there are different times to tie your shoes different ways.  If you only have one way, you’re missing out.

He tried to teach me that equality with God is something to be grasped.  But that’s not fair.  What he really meant was that when we are fully realized, we come into the knowledge that we are one with God, and even something bigger than God.

He showed me scriptures that predate my Holy Bible by thousands of years, and have much the same content.  He thinks he has me.  The scriptures turned my thinking inside out for a couple weeks until I hit the simple phrase of Jesus, “All who have come before me are liars and thieves.”  So I ask him, “Who was the last avatar?”  ”Jesus Christ” he says.  ”Really?!?”  In two thousand years, after so many before him, Christ is the last one?

Interesting.

There is no amount of reason that can convince me that his Philosophy is in harmony with my little Christianity.  His all-encompassing truth, cannot contain the simple truth, that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and the father is “I AM”.   To believe that I am equal or can be greater, more, higher, or inclusive of God, is the ultimate lie that caused Lucifer to be cast down.  Oh yeah, let’s look at that:

For God-knows-how-long before God got around to creating us, the Heavenly host (all of them) hung out with the WORD (That Word in John 1:1).

That means that the angels who rebelled and became demons knew just what Jesus looked like, smelled like, sounded like, and all the truth that was in him.  They had thousands of years BC to masquerade as avatars (deity embodied in man) and sew just enough truth into their stories to become gods themselves.  Until God said, “Enough”.  I will send myself, in the form of my Son, to set the record straight.

Now, my uncle’s tormented wife is manifesting demons.  I got the report that her face and voice changes and she is barely recognizable when that happens.  He doesn’t know what to do.  I do.  But I can’t.  He controls her with anger, intimidation, and now medication.  She is a prisoner in her own home.  She called me, saying that she can’t escape, she just wants to drink and prays that she’ll never wake up.  She says that she wants to come stay with us, but can’t get the courage to tell my uncle.

My cousin calls me to ask me to pray.   My wife and I stay up and clear out the guest room, ready to take in a family member in need, and love her back into self-worth and hope.  We prepare to spend a 15 hour day driving to get her in the hopes of introducing her to a very effective deliverance ministry.  Mr. Control takes her phone, so we can’t issue the invitation.  Other well-meaning people recommend a rescue mission, but I am unwilling to go behind my uncle’s back to take my aunt (who, by the way is no longer married to him) out of his home into mine.

Unfortunately, during the course of trying to work out the best plan of action, God steps in and reminds me of a prophesy and a vision that expressly direct me to NOT seek my uncle’s permission, to not even notify him.  This is SO AGAINST my brain (remember my brain?)  I saw my former sister in law “rescued” into self-destruction, when my brother was working hard to help her.  Same story, different day, now I’m supposed to be the one dishonoring my uncle.  Sorry, uncle.  I have to go with God.  Now I know why.

My self-controlled, reasoning, philosophical uncle rules his family with Anger, Fear, Threats, and Intimidation.  He tries it on me.  Due to his well-meaning daughter, we decide to make him aware of the help my aunt asked me for, and the plans to take her in for a while.  He goes ballistic, calls me and starts the conversation by telling me that I have absolutely no credibility with him.  Way to go.

My drugged up aunt, left a message tonight, telling me that I almost got her son disowned by his father, and to please not call her again (as if I had called her before.)  She is bound.

I was going to try to put this in a letter to my uncle, but I can’t manage it without sounding hostile.  I HATE the evil that rules his family.  I love him, my aunt, and my cousins, and pray that they are restored, healed, delivered and healthy in their bodies and relationships.  However, my uncle and I have the unfortunate issue of total devotion to opposing spiritual forces.   Technically, we are spiritual enemies, but I love him.

Lord, send holy, warrior angels to torment their oppressors.  Protect their lives.  May Man’s wisdom become foolishness, and your foolishness become wisdom.  Break the proud.  Break addictions.  Break co-dependence, fear and deception.  I rebuke those enemies of the cross and call upon the love of the Father to invade their space, their minds and their hearts.  Freedom.  Love.  Peace, in Jesus’ name.

He turns, comes right up to me, places his bent elbow on my left shoulder, and with his nose 1 foot from mine, gives me the biggest smile I’ve ever seen.

His smile says, “I love you.  ALL THE WAY.  Like a friend.  I trust you, and I will work with you.”

He says, “Not only.” and turns and walks away.

To me, his simple phrase means, “You have asked for a lot, but I am going to give you so much more.”

I follow Him.  Up stairs circling to the right.

We get to the top.  Everything is red, like the inside of a body.

I say, “What is this?”  He says, “This is your Brain.”

“My Brain?”, I ask, since I have been having weird feelings in my heart, not my brain.

He says, “Yeah.  We have some work to do here before we can go any further.”

He takes out a sharp object, and slices across the surface of “my brain”.  The red comes down like sheets of wallpaper.

He kicks them out of the way, I look up and notice.

The Heavens.

“Wow.  That’s really Big.” I say.

“Yeah, it is.”  He understates.

I have become one of “those” charasmatic Christians who is into experiencing (and sharing) the power of the Holy Spirit.  I sure am glad that God saw fit to show me increasing miracles to lead me into the path of a living, active, working God who graces anyone who will ask, seek, and knock with proof of the Living God.

Yes, I have seen and done miracles that defy physics, and I understand that when you are in relationship with the Author of physics, than our physical “reality” becomes a little less rigid.

Just as exciting is finding a group of people who truly understand the concepts of family, and being a body of Christ where the parts honor one another.  There’s nothing like being in the company of people who genuinely love you, spontaneously come up to encourage you, prophesy over you and teach you how to love, how to heal, and how to experience God.

Pitty I had to leave my church to find it.

My enthusiasm is tempered (warning) by the understanding that these gifts are not meant to stay within the walls of the church, but to be shared to bring people to a point where they desire and accept Jesus, who (just like the miracles) was all about the glory of the Father.

“…thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven.  Give US this day… forgive US…..as WE… agains US…”

1. The Kindom has already come.  We are not asking Jesus to come back in this prayer.  The Kingdom came when the Spirit came after Jesus left.  In the Kingdom, we have forgiveness, healing (including physical), we have access to wisdom, knowledge and gifts that are not available to non-believers.  In the Kingdom, there is an abundance of GRACE, and it is only Christ’s to judge (see previous post).

2. When Jesus came up from the grave with the keys, that was the authority that Adam had given the devil with his free will.  Jesus took that authority and gave it back to the “Sons of God” (us) so that we would use it to defeat the enemy as we live in and share the Kingdom.

3.  Jesus didn’t preach the Gospel (he WAS the Gospel).  He preached the KINGDOM.  As believers, we should enable others to see and experience the Kingdom, so that they want the Gospel.

4. As believers (Kingdom dwellers), it is our mission to bring the Kingdom (Thy Kingdom come)!  Why else would He tell us to ask for it?  Am I seeking the Kingdom, trying to live it out?  Does the work of the Holy Spirit intellectually offend me?  Do I just assume that everything I don’t understand is not the working of the Spirit (God-forbid).

5. The US, OUR, and WE, does not mean ME!!!  Pray for our Nation, pray for the unbelievers among us.

I have been hearing God tell me that it is not mine to judge others.  We love others, and we want to see all our loved ones and unbelievers get into the Kingdom, but it seems to me that this verse is there to encourage (implore) us to seek intimace with Christ, not to enable us to judge others.

The problem is this:  How do we share the gospel, and the kingdom without judging, condemning or offending others?  (Thinking out loud here…). 

Real life application.  My own bio-brother.  I met with him and tried to explain the ways God is taking me deeper, how I’ve obtained freedom in so many ways, and what truly SuperNatural things have been going on.  I want to walk this journey out with him.  The problem is, he felt judged, he used the term “your own little corner on the truth” and thinks I’m telling him that my way is the only way to get closer to God.  I cannot control how people respond to me, but I will not suppress the Spirit’s prompting to share the truths of the Kingdom as they are revealed to me.

Every person has a process that God is taking them through.  I submit to every person who reads this that it will go faster if you drop your palms and relase all intellectual offense.  You see, NONE of us know how the Spirit operates in full, and if we think we need to understand something before we can let God take us there, we’re not going to get very far.

I have come to believe (joined other believers in this belief) that our FAITH needs to contain much of what we cannot explain.  If we can explain everything we believe, we have KNOWLEDGE.  God is much bigger than what I know.

So as for me, I will continue to RUN toward Jesus, with my palms out (like a child going to daddy for a hug) instead of out in front.  I’m not interested in limiting God to my current understanding, and I know I can never get enough.

In a time when  politicians are doomed by allegations, we as law abiding citizens who want to protect our own families are being set up by articles like this to turn the public psyche against anyone with a gun.  Mark my words… the day is coming when the public will look the other way when law-abiding citizens (fathers who provide for their families) will be ripped from their homes and incarcerated (or detained) based on trumped-up allegations.

One question:  If the FBI had such a handle of what these guys were going to do, why couldn’t they catch them “in the act”?

And what’s this!?: “belief that the group was planning a reconnaissance exercise.” — so someone thought that someone was thinking about practicing to collect information?

ARRRRAAAGH!!!!!!    What have we become?

Note to Hutaree or any other wacked out freaks dumb enough to put up sites with names like “Freedom Guns and Jesus”  (Wait, that’s me!) :  Jesus Christ doesn’t need your guns, ammo or violence to keep his testimony alive!

Our battle is not in the physical.  Can we be any more clear on that?

______________________________________________________

US ‘Christian militants’ charged after FBI raids

Hutaree’s logo includes the initials CCR – for “Colonial Christian Republic” Nine alleged members of a radical US Christian militia group have been charged with conspiring to kill police officers and wage war against the US. The suspects were detained in a series of FBI raids across the Mid-West, while one remains at large. Prosecutors say the eight men and one woman belonged to the Hutaree group. It is alleged they planned to kill a police officer in Michigan and then stage a second attack on the funeral, using landmines and roadside bombs. Preparing for the Antichrist The FBI raided properties in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana over the weekend in the belief that the group was planning a reconnaissance exercise. “The indictment… outlines an insidious plan by anti-government extremists to murder a law enforcement officer in order to lure police from across the nation to the funeral where they would be attacked with explosive devices,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “Thankfully, this alleged plot has been thwarted and a severe blow has been dealt to a dangerous organisation that today stands accused of conspiring to levy war against the United States.” A website in the name of the group shows video footage of military-style training exercises and describes Hutaree as “Christian warriors”. It is edited to a backing track of rock music. A statement on the website says the group are preparing to defend themselves upon the arrival of the Antichrist. The website says Hutaree is “preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive”. In the indictment, Hutaree is described as an “anti-government extremist organisation” advocating violence against the police.

Can anyone help me figure this out?

There were plenty of orbs that folks could argue were dust, dew, or whatever their left-brain comes up with.

This one baked my noodle.  Upon viewing the photo, we all had to assume that there was an ornamental garden decoration (left-brain analysis), in spite of the fact that there is no supporting structure, no texture, and it seems to be made completely of light.  The problem is, upon going back there was nothing there.  Furthermore, if you want to try to use the “maybe there was a large flying insect that took off from the bush right as we took the picture”…. well that’s a moronic statement as well, considering that there were three of us standing there taking the picture, and none of us saw or heard anything unusual when we took the photo.  If you know Wilmington, you can figure out where this is.