Category Archives: Evidence Locker

Parables of Truth

Another very important type of evidence is called demonstrative. Demonstrative evidence can be simulations, and models that are useful for assisting a finder of fact in establishing context among the facts. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God (KoG) using demonstrative evidence called parables and word pictures. These animated stories simplistically described the hidden truths of the Kingdom, its operations and it relationship to us and the world.

Mark 4:33-34 And with many such parables He spoke the word to them as they were able to hear it. 34 But without a parable He did not speak to them. And when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples.

Matthew 13:13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

The reason Jesus used this style of evidence was so that he could explain the multiple concepts of the kingdom using a common language that the average person could understand. The spiritual kingdom is invisible and therefore explaining its principles required material examples that could be understood by the people of that day who were hearing the message. Besides that, His audience had little to no concept of spiritual things.

By following the example of Christ we can reach our audience and jury of peers to establish spiritual facts that cannot be understood with our physical senses. Only after the resurrection of Christ has the spiritual kingdom become available to all of mankind. There is now a spiritual consciousness among mankind that can grasp the concepts of spiritual truth and allow the ones that choose to become free of the bonds in this material world.

Forgiveness, repentance, faith and grace are just a few of the concepts that have been made available to us today. Though we cannot fully understand the all-mighty, all-present and all-knowledge, characteristics of God, we can begin to create and understand, models using our earthly concepts. As we repeat the demonstrative examples that Christ used these stories become common and begin to convey spiritual truth.

Matthew 13:44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Matthew 13:45-46 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, 46 who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

To sell or give away everything in this earth realm for God’s Kingdom should be a reasonable response to any person who finds it. So Jesus uses the 2 parables above to demonstrate this point about the value of His Father’s spiritual Kingdom. Not only does the Kingdom exist but its value is worth more than all a person’s material possessions. To sell everything from this world is a transaction that one should gladly make, speaks of the rare opportunity that must be undertaken when the opportunity presents itself.

This treasure or pearl that is hidden in the earth also speaks to our uniqueness as earthen vessels which have something wonderful on the inside of us. In other words the truly valuable thing about us is invisible from the outside. However the person who is awakened to this hidden value would be willing to sell everything and pay a large price even though outwardly appearances do not reveal the great value hidden within.

Isaiah 11:3 (Speaking of Christ) His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

It is impossible to discern spiritual value with the things of the material world. When Jesus asked His disciples who He was He responded to their answer by saying the “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you”. The things of the material world are incapable of showing forth spiritual truth. But we who are spiritually awake can use the things of the material world to present demonstrative evidence of material truths.

I encourage all of us who are awake to pull this type of evidence out of our locker and help awaken those that remain asleep to the freedom of God and His kingdom. As help enable other to see the Kingdom of God we fulfill our calling. We are the ones sent, with a mission from our Father, to our lost brothers and sisters that are in need of a spiritual awakening in Christ.

 

 

 

 

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Evidence that Surpasses Understanding

At the evidence locker we are encouraging each other to gather and present spiritual evidence of the Kingdom of God. Evidence can be anything that helps establish the fact of the Kingdom. The key is that the spiritual kingdom is within us and therefore our evidence will most likely come from within us.

I am often reminded of a testimony by author C.S. Lewis who tells of a story about his brother who took a cigar can and built a little garden in it. He said when he looked at it was like a magical little world, totally different from the one he lived in. He would sneak and open the lid and peer into this world of wonder. Mr. Lewis recalls how the memory of the garden in the can inspired him and as an author and he tries to describe the feelings of people who have a life changed by spiritual experience but have no material evidence.  In the Chronicles of Narnia the main characters enter the kingdom of Narnia but when they return to the material world they are forever changed because of that experience.

Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard you hearts and mind through Christ Jesus.

We also, who have seen into the Kingdom of God (KoG) have this quiet assurance and confidence of life in this spiritual world. Once you have experienced the kingdom and the presence of God within your being, you begin to live in a peace that does not have its source in this material world. It is this experience that marks the difference between the spiritual realm and the material realm. The feelings that accompany these experiences can be evidence and we must learn to present this evidence of the reality of Gods spiritual Kingdom.

 A lot of believers in Christ read scripture and it is nothing more than a recorded testimony of someone else’s experience. This is quite alright for new believers but this should not be the status of mature. Until the spiritual kingdom becomes real and personal to us the words of Christ remain as hearsay testimony which is inadmissible as evidence. In order for evidence to become real it must be experience by one’s spirit, soul and physical body.

 John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 John 16:33 This things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

  Like the garden in the tin can in order for that reality to remain we must continually peer in to the spiritual realm to keep the experience fresh and forefront in our minds and heart. If we forget allowing the memories of spiritual experience to fade, we drift back into the material world losing sight of spiritual truth. Even though our understanding may fail to grasp spiritual truth, nevertheless that truth will yet remain.

 Living spiritually is a choice we must consciously make every minute of our life. The material things of this world in and of themselves do not speak of the spiritual realm. If fact, spiritual things are considered foolish by the material world and this is the reason for a spiritual transformation.

 Once you have become spiritually awaken everything in the material realm can reveal truths of processes that are unseen by the natural eye. This awakening comes with a peace that is grounded in the Christ who first awakened us to these truths. After our awakening Christ’s mission then becomes our mission, and the awakening of others to the spiritual truth we now experience become top priority in our lives.

 1 Corinthians 1:25-26 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

 Many believers in Christ proclaim spiritual reality, yet they never truly experience it. Their proclamations are simply statements of their faith. Their faith is reasonable and scripturally based.  They hold beliefs that they are new spiritual creatures and one day they will enter into a place of spiritual eternity in the presence of God. And that is all good.

 But if they could truly experience today the reality of God’s Kingdom they too could embrace the spiritual Kingdom of God. As ambassadors we enter and exit the spiritual realm proclaiming freedom to captives of the material realm. We proclaim that this is now the acceptable year of the Lord and we help reconcile people of the material realm with their spiritual Father the living God. So we are one with God, sent to aid in the same mission as Christ.

 Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 

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Seeing Christ in the Mirror Pt. 3

 This is the 4th step in what I have termed the Theology of the Mirror.  In this step we allow ourselves to be changed by the image of the mirror. Now that you have developed the technique to see more spiritually, by seeing Christ in the mirror you can now see the two images that are trying to become one. This is the point where you must commit to becoming changed into the image of Christ and let go of the old material sensing person.

 Luke 4:4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’”

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

 We must become individual manifestations of Christ that Father has sent. We are not to become mass-produced into the image put forth by the religious of the material world. Each person has a special call and all things work together for good.

 There are many techniques to help us find out what our spiritual call is. The study of God’s word is the foundation for getting the general vision of what is spiritually available. Contemplative prayer is a technique of focusing and chewing on portions of that spiritual vision. By turning over and over theses portions of scriptures in our heart and mind we can discover by God’s Spirit many nuggets of revelation that will help us become more like Christ.

 There is also the technique of being still or “taking no thought” that places us in total receiving mode. The moment we say to our heavenly Father within “I am here, your child is listening” we have moved into a conscious awareness of God’s presence. We are all called to be still and know that—the image in the mirror of the great—I am is God. This behavior of being still is a learned technique that is counter to the ways of the material world. It is true that this skill called meditation has been co-opted my many religions and groups in the material world, but that does not make this spiritual technique any less true.

 For us to change from a purely material conscience to a spiritual one we must get into a place where we can communicate with our Father’s spiritual voice. So I encourage you to take at a minimum 2 periods each day to be still. I suggest taking one of those periods right after you awake in the morning and take the other period right before you go to bed at night.

 Begin each period by reading a portion of biblical scripture or some part of a spiritual teaching. Then take 5 minutes to contemplate on what you have just read. After that still your mind, taking hold of no thought that comes by but listen for His still small voice on the inside of you. At first you may only be able to still your mind for less than a minute but with practice the time of stillness will increase. God’s words are Spirit and His Spirit within us will make contact in a way that we will gain a spiritual understanding.

If there is one place in general where the religions of this world can miss the mark it is making spiritual contact. Religion in my opinion becomes too easily invested in maintaining a material hierarchy of organizational relationships. For example as we learn to see and communicate spiritually with our Father you become a conscious carrier of God’s presence within. As Disciples of Christ (ones who are being transformed) we begin to help others achieve what we have learned. The common religious error is not humbling ourselves to the point where we can be changed by the Christ that has become awakened in these newly formed disciples. The religious organization is so invested in the organizational hierarchy that it ignores and even rejects the Spirit of God by not being able to receive form the image of Christ in the new mirrors.

 This lack of equality causes many to stumble and become prideful and perverted in their relationship with God’s Kingdom. In the Old Testament each household had a member that wore a prayer garment with tassels on each corner where the tassels had a single blue thread in each tassel. The dye of this thread was the same that colored the high priest garments when he entered the presence of God in the Holy of Holies each year. Our heavenly Father always wanted all of His children be in His presence. Today instead of a material thread for each household Father has placed His spiritual kingdom within us and He is continually making us aware of His spiritual presence within.

John 20:21-23  So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

In the beginning God breathed His Spirit into man and he became a living soul but his consciousness became separated from God. The entire ministry of Christ, the last Adam, was to awaken the spiritual nature of who we are as children of God and members of the Kingdom. Jesus presented plenty of spiritual evidence and He left a written record of that evidence He presented. Today we are able to read this testimony and inspect the chain of custody of this spiritual evidence. But all the evidence has a purpose. This evidence awakens our spiritual conscious and when we become awake we awaken others and the reality of our spiritual unity with our Father becomes the true reality. In our Master’s final prayers to our Father He sums up this ministry of transformation and reconciliation clearly.

John 17:22-23  And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

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