Tag Archives: Chain of Evidence

Evidence Not Understood

CAM00814The material process of evolution implies that things move from a state of simplicity toward more complex state. As attorneys compile evidence to present to a judge and jury the chain of custody must be preserved on all pieces of evidence as they build a case which may be very complex. The bible in the Old and New Testaments implies that all humans are children of God.

However for the humans alive today believing such a complex truth will require an understanding of a lot of simple truths that have been in evidence for over six thousand years of recorded biblical history. For me one simple text of scripture implies the potential condition of all humans.

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

In contrast the Spiritual process of enlightenment moves in the opposite direction of material evolution. Spiritual revelation should strip away confusion and make things more simple and clear. And thus we humans always have two paths that lead to truth. God encodes truth in material reality and reveals the same truth through spiritual enlightenment.

Today some humans participate in the Christian faith for various reasons. I do as well and for me it is all about the maximizing of both human material and spiritual potential. Most Christians believe that the work God sent Jesus to do is intended for all humans. But in practice many Christians interpret and bestow favorable treatment to those people that have chosen to be identified as Christian and bestow a somewhat unfavorable treatment to those who have yet to identify with Jesus. Furthermore within the Christian religious sect favorable honor is rendered based on people’s position in the organizational hierarchy.

In the heart and mind of every human judgments are being made every day based on their beliefs and understanding of which human is truly a child of God. Today people react viscerally to the charge that one person is a child of God and another person is not. Common to western culture and know by other cultures is this belief that some people are counted among God’s chosen people and others are not.

It is these beliefs that shape political platforms and social fabric of people all around the world. There are many battle lines that are that are being fought today and many of them have to do with the interpretation of this single truth. If we are all truly children of God then would we ever find justification to harm one’s own sister or brother?

Is there evidence that the average person could present in their daily response to the many situations that make up the social fabric of our communities? In a normal familial relationship people do not carry around birth certificates to prove their relationships. Husbands and wives do however wear rings. But not everyone has the same skin color or eye color or residential address, or economic status, or cultural language or accent. So can we judge without using the site of our eyes or the hearing of our ears?

 

Galatians 4:1 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,

 

One easy way to tell whose child someone is by the stuff they have inherited and their use of that stuff. Every culture has inherited something unless it is a new emerging culture and even then it emerges from a previous source of life. This is the testimonial status of Jesus who is the inheritance for all humans. The biblical testimony is that He was the first spiritually born child to introduced humankind to its inheritance. And after two thousand years we humans are still discovering what we have inherited.

The purpose of my words in this post is to encourage a change in our beliefs. Jesus inherited the love of our Father in heaven and that alone should be our identity because it is the totality of what we inherit with Jesus. It is the truth upon which all of Christianity is truly founded. The current social order we find in the world today provides evidence of fact, that humans hold a belief that is contrary the truth of God love for all His human children.

If we who call ourselves disciples and citizens of God’s kingdom we need to understand this single message we have been given to present as evidence. Love alone should be the message and yet people of the world are confused because we the messengers are unable to communicate it with clarity.

It is my hope that the truth of God’s love for all humans as His children, no longer remain as evidence that is not understood by everyone. If God is truly our Father then every human is either our sister or brother and we should treat each other with the equality and respect that our relationship has inherited. Jesus is the “first fruit” and that implies that there is an expectation on God’s part that there is more fruit to be realized. This means that more of the human population needs to understand and relate to one another in this truth.

May the eyes of our understanding be enlightened and may we present truthful evidence that is simple and understood.

 

Romans 8:14-17 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

Galatians 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 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.

 

Galatians 4:4-7 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

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Evidence of Son Light

2013-07-23 06.20.36One of my favorite biblical sayings is “Freely you have received, freely give”. Two immediate questions come to my mind when hearing that passage. The first is, what was given to me for free and the second is have I ever charged any person for that thing given to me for free. We humans of the western free market culture have a peculiar mindset that knows no bounds when it comes to selling stuff. Our sense of justice is a trade in which we received something and sell it at a higher value. It is then culturally considered a sign of good stewardship if you make a profit and even unjust to just break even.

So what have we been given for free? I believe that God is universal in His gifts to humankind which is easily seen in His distribution of rain and sunlight.  Everyone on earth experiences the light of the sun. Those on the equator and at the poles have a slightly different experience but the majority of earthlings live between those extremes. Astronauts who have left the planet have a totally different experience than us earthlings that are bound to this planet. Yet it is still safe to say that all humans have freely received light from the sun. 

It is also safe to say that all humans have also freely received the Spiritual Light of God’s evidence through His Son Jesus. Passing that evidence on to others should be a free gift we give to others. However like rain water it has become very popular to charge a fee for the redistribution of that which has been freely given. This is unjust because it limits the return on God’s Spiritual investment. God’s spiritual goal is for all humans to become saturated in His Presences and our human goal is to sustain the human distribution process. The conflict I see is that God is trying to awake His Spiritual Kingdom in as many as possible and humans are building a material support system to help those that claim to be in the Kingdom.

Matthew 26:8-10 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste? For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”  10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.

John 6:10-12 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples[a] to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”

Luke 12:46-48 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.

I would suggest that since God is Spirit the investment that He will account for will also be spirit. This is not to suggest the investments in material should not be accounted for. However after we have been awaken what is most important is the Spiritual return on investment.  To gain the material world, or build bigger barns to hold material goods may not be the most important focus of God’s accountability.

I offer this posting as an encouragement for us to take the opportunity to verify that Spirit and not material is the focus of our lives. If we seek first that which is of Spirit then our faith tells us that the material will be added. If we focus on the material first we should not be surprise when we do not reap of the Spirit. As we re-read scripture we need to do so with a focus on the spirit.

Most of the material examples in scripture are there to communicate spiritual principles and concepts. However if we just focus on the obvious material object described in the letter of the word we will be rewarded only with a return on our material investment. Jesus was a free Spiritual investment planted in human form, and when God comes for an account on His investment, He will be focused on the return of His spiritual investment. 

 

Luke Chapter 19 The Parable of the Minas

11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas,[b] and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’

15 “And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’

20 “Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’

24 “And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’)26 ‘For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”

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Love is Simply Evidence

2013-03-02_24939_7887Out of all the evidence that reveals the heart and motivation of our creator, it is the love for other people. Under Old Testament theology there are things/persons that are good and things/persons that are evil. If one has faith to believe that they are good then one must not come into contact with things/persons of evil. However since Jesus appeared on earth He established a New Testament theology that says all that we touch is made clean if we have a consciousness of God’s Spirit living within our being.

The theology of Love or Fear is a choice every person must make. Under the fear theology we must be made clean whenever one becomes defiled. Depending on one’s religious practices we must go through a sanctification process to restore that right relationship with our Father and others every time it is defiled. Many of the ordinances of some religions of fear are designed to make one conscious as to what makes a person defiled. As a result after many years of practice some religious adherents wind up with the unintended consequences of an overdeveloped faith with a conscious of what is unholy and these adherents tend to mostly speak about what is evil instead of what they love.

Titus 1:15-16 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work.

Love’s Theology (Jesus) on the other hand aims to develop a consciousness of relationship with our Heavenly Father and all of His human children.  As the reality of Jesus living within is given a place all these relationships become pure and sacred. It is no longer us that lives in these earth-suits but the Kingdom of God becomes alive and begins to activate and atmosphere in this earthly realm.

Love simply prefers all others before personal will and desire. As we begin to see the effect we have on others even without speaking a word, we begin to understand the power that is within our very being. Soon a lifestyle of rest from physical work and a release from mental conformance to human belief systems is manifested.

Scripture record in Romans 8:28 that “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Love is the operative word in this scripture. Because it is only as we operate in an awareness of Father’s Love can we stand still a see the salvation of the Lord of All.

 There is a peace that begins to become active because we simply choose to love. There will always be a choice to revert back to Old Testament ways and exert personal control over situations. Today in the world the demand for ammo for personal fire arms is a manifestation of this need for human control. However for those who choose loves path there is freedom from fear’s leading.

We are all given the choice to simply love. In God’s Kingdom love offers us a place of trust and rest. Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will not fear. Only while our consciousness of our Father presence within is in a process of greater development are we able to rest and trust. We are given a choice of a future that deepens our relationship with God and all of mankind.

Jesus is our example of what a human life can look like when a human mind is continually focused on the Spirit of God that dwell within. His testimony is an encouragement to all of His Disciple’s that choose to walk in the authority that has been transferred to us. Our Heavenly Fathers Spirit within always gives us a choice of life and peace. If we accept his offer then Love is Simply Evidence of our awareness of His presence within.

Roman 8:1-6 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 

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