Category Archives: Evidence Locker

August 5, 2012 · 2:55 pm

Righteous Relativism

In this post I am going to stray from my normal look at evidence as a metaphor. The goal of this posting will remain the same in that I hope to encourage us to present spiritual evidence of God’s Kingdom. So today I want to discuss Legal Relativism or Righteous Relativism.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

 As a person who is spiritually aware I believe in the absolute of right and a wrong and the understanding that there is truth and untruth. But I also know that my understanding of these at any moment is a function of my perception. I also believe there are three basic relationships, one with God, one with others, and the one with our self. For this discussion of relativism I am comparing our relationships to truth.

 John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

 There is a personal momentum that relates to our transformational journey. We all find ourselves  in place that is relative to truth. As we begin to explore the world around us we move toward what we believe is truth and away from dysfunction and untruths. Then we begin to gravitate in our relative orbits around God and truth and we say to ourselves and others I can live here. This is our lifestyle, which is a summation of choices that we have made and this places us in a relative position never static because we continue to make choice throughout our life.

 As we discover a clearer picture of truth we can choose to move toward it and as we discover that the traditions we have embraced are not as pure in truth as we once thought we willingly refine our lifestyle and thereby move our position relative to the truth we discover. So from a material or a spiritual point of view the question remains what is truth and are we willing to change our lifestyle to move forward on our journey of transformation? As Christians we believe Jesus is the Master copy of perfect human lifestyle, is in perfect relationship to God, others and Himself.

 2 Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

 If our spiritual journey is toward truth and God (children of light seek light) there are several ways to determine if we are making progress in a direction toward truth. One way is by judging our relative position using others as relative markers so we can determine if we making forward momentum. But if we judge our movement using others that moving away from truth our movement is relative to those and not relative truth and God’s Kingdom.

 Some religion’s tend to rely on this form of relativism to justify stagnate growth and a refusal to allow their personal lifestyles to become transformed. So during the weekly meetings instead of seeking truth they tend to point out the faults in other religions, other sexual lifestyles, or the effects of holding different political positions. While these other groups may be wrong in their choices this approach only proves that they are not moving in their direction it does not prove they are moving toward truth. 

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Romans 12:2-3 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 The best way to determine our relativistic movement is to focus on the source of God and truth and not the movement of others.  In the material world science has determined that as we approach a light source the light will appear blue and as we move away it will appear red. This is called the red and blue shift effect. This is the best way to gage our spiritual journey and this will reduce the false readings we get by observing others.

 Spiritual evidence tends to reinforce our focus on the spiritual source of God’s Kingdom. Transformation into the likeness of Jesus carries with it the purpose and responsibility of revealing God the source of all truth. Jesus was sent and we have become His agents, forgiving sin, healing the sick and waking the dead. All of these are results of spiritual evidence but they are themselves also spiritual evidence.

 It is my hope that we to speak the truth in love in order to encourage others to move towards God and His Kingdom. It is easy to point the finger at the Muslim, the homosexual, and the illegal immigrant. Seeing and judging them may prove that our relative position is closer to God as compared to their position. However, unless we are willing to love, forgive and establish an atmosphere of reconciliation for them, our relative position to God will also be moving in a direction that is anti to Christ and His purpose. God so loved this world that He sent Christ who has given us His authority to carry out the purpose of the one who sent Him. So let us walk in the light of God’s truth and enjoy our position of right standing with God our heavenly Father.

 Mark 6:4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

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July 29, 2012 · 6:07 pm

Case: Vineyard Owner vs. Vineyard Keepers

In this post I want to return to a type of evidence I have covered before. Demonstrative Evidence is also known as Illustrative Evidence. This type of evidence is used to assist the jury in understanding what has happened in a case. So if we present spiritual evidence that is illustrative it should show what is happening in the King’s dominion an also provide prophetic insight as to what will happen in the future.

 John 5:19-20 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

 Matthew 21:33-39 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.

 In my last post Fruit of a Spiritual Tree I used a parable of Jesus about an owner of a vineyard, his expectations and his encounters with those taking care of his vineyard. One way to look at this parable is like a landmark court case (Vineyard Owner v. Vinedressers). By using this approach it could give us some insight as to how a judge might rule today and in the future. Better yet is should give us some insight and strategy as to the way we might present and expect God to present evidence of His Kingdom through us to a jury of our peers.

 The basic outline of the case is presented in Mathew 21:33-35 where the vineyard owner created a vineyard and placed in it everything needed to make it successful. The vineyard was within the hedge and the tools make wine and a tower from which to communicate and protect the vineyard was also provided with the vineyard. Verse 34 states that the fruit was for “they”. Is the “they” the servants on behalf of the owner or the vinedressers?

 As we read and listen to this parable we not only see what the owner provided to make the vineyard successful we can see a story being told as an example of illustrative evidence. If Jesus tried to explain spiritual truth of how the spiritual Kingdom of God (KoG) operates to those who have not been spiritually awaken they would miss the point. But by using this parable as illustrative evidence Jesus can assist any member in the jury of our peers to understand why God’s spiritual work will be successful as it is activated within the hedge or material flesh of mankind.

 This vineyard or garden living on the inside of us is totally spiritual but it has characteristics like those illustrated in the picture of this vineyard. If we understand the purpose of a hedge, a tower and a winepress we can begin to understand how this internal and spiritual Kingdom operates. We see that carnal or material mindset of the vinedressers sees value in the flesh of the fruit (grapes) but because they miss the spiritual and universal understanding of their relationship to the owner they kill and steal hoping to keep a harvest that they perceive they do not own. This too is illustrative of a spiritual truth. See the final judgment of this case below (Mat 21:43) and notice who really owned the fruit

Matthew 21:43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

Matthew 11:12-15 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

A consistent point that Jesus makes during His ministry is that the material or carnal mind-set operates from a place of separation from God. This is a result of sin that subjected mankind to a mind-set that has at its foundation a knowledge of good and evil. The whole of Jesus ministry is to reconcile man back to God. The carnal mind-set fails to receive the free work of forgiveness of sin and receive by grace the right standing as child of God. The key to all spiritual evidence presented through us goes to the point, that we have been reconciled and are now one with God.

Christ mission and now our mission of bringing heaven to earth serves this purpose. It destroys the disbelief that we have to remain separated or fearful that our destiny is eternal separation from God our Father. If the opposite of heaven is hell then we could hold a working definition that regardless of our location if one is separated from God they are in hell. Likewise we can consider regardless of location that any place in the presence of God is heaven. And so the very moment we enter into the Presence of God here on earth that prayer has been answered by our Father.  

Galatians 4:1-5 Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, 2 but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. 4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.

Romans 8:19-21 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

The ministry of Jesus, who was also known as the last Adam, was and is all about bringing the reality of our heavenly Father’s dominion to earth and to ensure that we have an eternal place in our Father’s Kingdom. In order for a person to willingly agree to be reconciled, their understanding of our Father’s willingness to forgive, love and heal them must become a part of their mind-set. The purpose of the illustrative evidence that we present is simply to change understanding.

God loves us and empowers us to share that understanding to all who will listen. Jesus is the Master example of how to present evidence of the truth concerning our Father and His Kingdom. Jesus has been authorized and He has given that authority to us so we can, like Him, share with those who have not been awakened to the truth of all matter. Spiritual transformation and understanding is a process that may take a lifetime but when it is complete our Father will be clearly seen in us and our ability to present spiritual evidence will at least be equal to that of Jesus our Teacher.

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. 

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July 21, 2012 · 4:58 pm

Fruit Of A Spiritual Tree

This blog uses evidentiary law as a metaphor for spiritual evidence of Gods Kingdom. In this post I will use one of evidentiary law’s legal metaphors as my metaphor. The exclusionary rule is a part of Constitutional Law and is designed to exclude evidence obtained in violation of a criminal defendant’s Fourth Amendment rights.  This amendment guarantees the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.

 The metaphor I want to use is called Fruit of the poisonous tree which logically means that if the source of the evidence (the “tree”) is tainted, then anything gained from it (the “fruit”) is tainted as well. This rule and metaphor is all about the authenticity of the source of evidence and how it was obtained. This is particularity true when it comes to the spiritual evidence of God’s Kingdom.

 John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

 Matthew 21:33-35 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another.

 Spiritual evidence does not originate in this material realm. Therefore the source of real spiritual evidence when gathered and presented says something about the relationship between the presenter and the source. In the material world there is always a question that must be satisfied, and it is, how was the evidence obtained? If it can be proven that during the gathering of evidence, the rights of the defendant were violated, the evidence is excluded.

 As joint heirs to the Kingdom of God, spiritual evidence reveals our relationship to the source of the Kingdom.  Since Jesus is the way, there is only one gate to this evidence and that is through Christ. The vinedressers in the parable got greedy and failed to recognize the owner of the vineyard and the ones he sent. Scripture reveals that the carnal mind or material mindset cannot understand spiritual relationships.

 Like Christ when we present spiritual evidence the jury in the material world naturally tends to view that evidence as having come from a physical source and does not understand the spiritual source. But we are children of God and sent ones and therefore the evidence belongs to the source and not the messengers. Our eyes have been opened to the Spirit of God and that was a work of God’s Spirit. We now understand that we humans are vessels and have the capacity to carry the Presence of God’s Spirit. We have become the “Dominion of God” Himself.

 As Disciples of Jesus we are learning to fill our vessels to overflowing and carry our Father’s Presence so that others might take, eat and become awaken, like we have become. But if we try to force that awakening we will have violated their rights and the spiritual evidence we carry will be dismissed or excluded and our reputations as vessels will discredited. Jesus stood at the door and knocked and we must do likewise.

1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

God is All in All, but each individual consciousness must freely open up in order to experience Father’s indwelling Presence. The Presence of God’s spirit that we carry is born out of intimacy and a trust that He will forgive us when we open ourselves to Him. People in the material world tend to resist opening up if they have experienced a violation of trust. Many religions and cults cross this line of sovereignty in their zealousness to help people experience the freedom that they have come to know.

 One of Jesus favorite sayings after He has carried in Father’s Presence, is that “your faith has made you whole”. A sign of spiritual maturity is the ability to enter into the intimate place and open up to our spiritual Father so He can fill us to overflowing with His Presence and then carefully and respectfully carry His Presence into the material world so people  can freely take from what has been freely given to us. If we manipulate people in to taking something they are not ready for the result is never good. Likewise if a prosecutor thinks someone is guilty and fixes the evidence to get a verdict, he performs a miscarriage of justice.

 Jesus operated from a place of Sabbath rest trusting that God’s Spirit would not return void but that our Father’s Spirit would accomplish His will. Jesus from a place of complete trust said “Not My will but Your will be done”. Our goal as Disciples is to become like our master by taking on His yoke (teachings, mind-set, and instructions). We must willingly become Disciples of Jesus if we expect others willingly chose to be Disciples. When Jesus laid His life down He did it trusting that our Father’s Spirit Words, left in the hearts of His disciples would get the job done.

 Intimacy leads to freedom, and forgiveness, trust, and rest leads to intimacy.

Matthew 11:28-30 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

 

 

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