Category Archives: Spirituality

June 22, 2013 · 1:54 pm

Unity Produces Kingdom Evidence

6-22-2013_543574_28914537I have been fascinated with the concept of perfect human. Most of the Superhero’s on the big screen today have had their DNA altered to provide them with an edge over their fellow humans. However the perfection that I have been meditating on is that demonstrated by Jesus the human.

The unity with God displayed in the human vessel of Jesus is a model of human perfection. All of biblical history prior to Jesus is about the development of a divine consciousness. Likewise the historical testimony after Jesus provides us with examples of what this union looks like as it works itself out in humankind. Today many religious people have been trained well enough to be sensitive of God’s Divine Presence in certain situations. However to be able to see, respect, communicate and host God’s divine Presence will require a lifelong journey.

John 17:20-21 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

Our unity with God and our process of becoming perfect like Jesus is the evidence that the people of the world need in order to believe that God sent Jesus. We are 2000+ years removed from Jesus being here in the flesh on earth, so if the world doubts the truth of His being here it has a lot to do with the evidence we have been presenting.

So what does being human in union with God look like? It looks like citizenship in the Kingdom of God. But first we must let go of the images in our conscious of man-made replicas on earth and acquire a more spiritual interpretation from God directly and scripture. Religious organizations have done their best to usher in what they believe is the kingdom of God. Even some nation states have tried to model their structures after what they think the Kingdom of God will be like. But they all miss the crucial point, and that is that Jesus came to reveal that the Kingdom of God is found inside each human.

Romans 4:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Luke 17:20-22 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

Jesus opened a doorway in the human conscience for us to understand and envision a divine-human relationship. Recognition of divine presence is a huge step and is described as an awakening or born-again experience. It is the conscience acknowledgement of spiritual reality. However many fall short of the real prize after this experience. From then on they spend their lives looking here and there trying to relive that experience.

But the thing which all humans are now able to seek and find is a true intimate relationship with the very Presence of God.  As the human being learns to still him or herself and quiet their mind, the voice of the personage within becomes clear and discernible. Communication with God on an intimate level becomes a lifestyle and the transformation into a relationship of unity like Jesus has become a reality.

It has always been our Father’s desire to maintain an intimate relationship with each of His human children. Jesus simply made a way for us to change the way we think so we can drop the fear and feel safe in the Presence of God. Now we can believe that God will not kill us as soon as we enter His Presence. We put our faith in the forgiveness and salvation found in the finished work of Christ.  As our minds become more like Christ we begin to believe we can become one with God. I encourage us all to pursue the depths of this intimate union with God our heavenly Father.

As we walk in and carry this consciousness of God living within and through our lives throughout the earth realm, not only are we transformed, but the world is transformed. Not only are we able to see and experience the Kingdom of God within ourselves we are also able to see it in others. When we see it in others they sense and become aware of the God coming to life on the inside of them. In Jesus we have the perfect example of the unity between God and mankind, so let us all become transformed.

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

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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May 19, 2013 · 8:02 am

Is Your Evidence a Call to All?

13-05-19_120649_4980If there is an example of the perfect human I would say it was Jesus. Buddha Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Father Joe are all great examples of humans that have made a difference, but for me Jesus stands above them all. So much so I have chosen to be His disciple. Therefore from that moment of decision until now or at any time in the future if you were to conduct a forensic examination of my life it should indicate that I am a disciple of Jesus.

1John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

Jesus speaking to God our Father:

John 17:23 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.

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

It is my belief that every human has a call and it is to attain human perfection. So what is perfection and is it possible? If we understand the components of the human through scripture we see that we are three-part-beings. First and at our core is a spiritual being (the little “I” of our existence).  Secondly is our soul which have capacities of intellect, will and emotions that take a lifetime to develop and understand. Thirdly our spirit and soul are contained in a physical body that allows us to operate and relate to others and the objects of this material realm. 

Together and more importantly, human perfection is about the capacity of our being to carry or host the Spiritual Presence of God (the big “I” of our existence). As we become aware of that aspect of our human make-up, it starts to happen that we develop a soulish-understanding that our spirit is in God and God’s spirit is in us forming human perfection. This is the good news that the divine and the common are once again in unity. Bringing and demonstrating that truth is the ministry of Jesus. His prayer was simply “I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one”.

To me Jesus was perfect because He had this understanding (the mind of Christ). His mission, the reason He was sent, was to make clear to humanity that this state of being is available to all. In my opinion a lot of our religious activity is distracting because it is not reinforcing this main point. Do this in remembrance of me were Jesus words. So what about Jesus should we be remembering?

Matthew 28:19 Go thereforeand make disciples of all the nations…

Matthew 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.”

When we awake to the fact of our call as humans we become activated to the purpose of our mission. We have been given citizenship into our Father’s Kingdom, and authority to accomplish the mission in this earth realm. The call on our lives and our mission are simple; become perfect and awake others. As disciples we enter a student-master relationship to become like Master Jesus pledging to follow only His example. The Lord is our Shepard and He alone leads us. When we make other disciples we point them to Jesus as well.

The big problem I see with Christian religion of which I take responsibility because I remain a part of organizational leadership is that we got distracted. We started to follow and train ourselves to the traditions of men and lost sight of perfection. I lost sight of Jesus and more importantly I and our institutions have pointed others in a direction that was not developing their student-master relationship. So now I pray, hope and work with the grace of God to restore vision and I repent often for those that I misled, that they find their way toward Jesus again.

I believe our call is worth the effort. More importantly the object of our call, He is worth our attention. Jesus actions was for all of humanity and the reason I say we have been distracted is sometimes the evidence of our call is not aimed at all humans. Sometimes we interpret scripture and feel justified to pre-judge who will answer the call. Our call is to become perfect and become like Jesus and part of fulfilling that call is to go and make disciples of all the nations.

Isaiah 11:3 …And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Our call is to all humans and not political systems, geographical regions, national borders, or cultural groups. Jesus executed His ministry with none of these distinctions in mind. He saw the possibility for all of mankind to be one with our Father. I encourage us to remember that we are sent by our Father to reconcile all humans to God and His Kingdom. We fail our call if we fail to call all. Whatever door we stand at we have the privilege to activate the awareness of God’s Presence that dwells within them. However if we fail to see God with our spiritual eyes on the inside of other people then the evidence of our call is far short of human perfection. The evidence of our call must be to all.

Luke 10:4-6 But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 

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April 11, 2013 · 12:33 pm

Who Does Our Evidence Include?

2013-04-08_659462_55398312One of the things the ministry of Jesus accomplished was to declare and make available access to the Kingdom of God for all humans. In the garden of Gethsemane there was a scene played out that had been done for many years as part of traditional Jewish weddings. An engagement party or betrothal dinner was held between the two families, where a marriage contract was sealed with a cup of wine.

The Father of the bride and the groom would push a cup back and forth across the table as they negotiated the dowry and other tenants of the marriage contract. Can you imagine the anticipation of the bride and groom as they watch their fathers make the deal. Do you think there was much anticipation by sleeping disciples of Jesus day? Should we blame the average sleeping pew sitter of our day?  But until an agreement was reach this cup would pass back and forth with every offer and counter offer. So I ask you what was Jesus really asking when He wanted the cup to pass.

Matthew 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Matthew 26:42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

The questions left to us are who should received the benefits of that negotiated contract between God our Father, Jesus and His Bride? As we carry out our duties as Daughters and Sons of God who are we making aware of this Kingdom that now resides on the inside of humans?  Who else is eligible to use the benefits of God’s family that was made available by our Brother’s death, burial and resurrection? There is a truth for the answers to these questions and finding that truth in scripture has a lot to do with our perspective as we search scripture.

Our human ego wants to worship a big God because who wants to worship a little defeated god. A lot of human interpretation of God through scripture has more to do with how the interpreter feels about their person and little to do with the truth about God and His will. We often hear “if God is on my side, who can be against me and defeat me”.  Jesus was careful to make sure His ego was not the motivation of His heart when he said “Your will be done” to His Father.

We naturally want to feel justified about our decisions. Choosing to become a disciple of Christ is one of those decisions. One way to feel justified is to perceive membership in God’s Kingdom as exclusive. So if other people do not want in, or are not willing to accept pay the price for entrance (10 commandments in Moses day, 613 laws in Jesus day), who cares if they get in. We are in and that is all that counts. Like the Prodigal Son story of the son who stayed behind, considered all that was left belonged to him because His brother took his portion.

Galatians 3:27-29 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Genesis 22:15-18 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

When the thrust of our scriptural interpretation goes from inclusive to exclusive I think we have somehow missed the big picture from God’s point of view. The human ego and materialistic perspective has at its core a primary value of survival but God being eternal values love for others and sacrifice. The Kingdom of God is invisible and the people who are truly of that kingdom are ambassadors using creative ways as co-creators to establish and demonstrate the values of God’s Kingdom.

Mark 9:42 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea

We are the seed, the inheritance, the descendants of Abraham and we now possess the gates of those that consider themselves enemies of God. We have been given the keys to open those gates, with the authority to set fee those that are in bondage, and we can reconcile anyone estranged in their thinking from God back home to our Father. If we are successful  enemies of God are transformed into our brothers and sisters. However if we remain blind or misuse our authority generations of mankind will remain in their belief that they not a part of God’s family or that someone else is God’s favorite.

As we use our spiritual authority to expand our Father’s family and Kingdom we build conclusive and overwhelming evidence that God wants to include all of mankind. It will take a demonstration and a preponderance of evidence to change the mindset of this materialistic world. You and I must present evidence that includes all of mankind. If we pre-judge and exclude any then we are missing the heart of our Father. Earthly fathers have favorites. God our Father so loves the whole world and nothing can separate any us from His love.

Rev 5:9-10  …For You were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.”

 

 

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