Tag Archives: exculpatory evidence

May 5, 2012 · 9:32 pm

Seeing Christ in the Mirror

Now that we have looked at 3 types of evidence (exculpatory, testimonial, real ) let us take a look at the aspects of gathering and using this evidence to obtain a favorable judgment from a jury of our peers. In the earth realm evidentiary law requires we maintain a well-documented chain of custody for all evidence so that we know that it is true. The purpose of evidence is to establish a fact and if the evidence is truthful it can be used to authenticate the fact being established.

John 5:31  “If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true.

John 8:14  Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going.

The fact we are establishing is the spiritual Kingdom of God (KoG) and we accomplish this by gathering and presenting spiritual evidence with chain of custody that could only have come from the spiritual realm. If human hands have no part in the creation, gathering and presentation of spiritual evidence then there is a high probably that a jury of our peers will come to that same conclusion we have and thereby join the KoG. As you look at the two scriptures above,  one reason that testimonial evidence appears to be in contradiction is because the judge of the evidence lacks a spiritual perspective to evaluate the evidence.

All humans have been given a door to the realm of spiritual understanding through Jesus Christ. So to remain materially bound to our five senses is not the fault of our God who loves us and has removed every obstacle to reconciliation with Him. Spiritually speaking there is one word we will all hear on our journey and that word is transformation. The process of becoming consciously awake to the spiritual realities that are available to us as children of God or Disciples of Christ.

James 1:22-25  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

There is a common tool available to aid us in this transformation. This is a mirror and it is a metaphor for the Word of God which is synonymous with Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth and the life for all humans.  If one could grasp an understanding of how a mirror works then one could use it to transform their life spiritually.

That revelation is the first of four steps I have personally called “The Theology of the Mirror”. In a nutshell, understanding how a mirror works is step one. Step 2 is looking for Christ in the mirror. Step 3 is becoming a mirror for others and step 4 is allowing oneself to be changed by the image in the new mirror. Christian discipleship is all about becoming transformed in order to transform others and then in turn help them to likewise transform others.

Exodus 38:8  He made the laver of bronze and its base of bronze, from the bronze mirrors of the serving women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

Exodus 30:17-21  Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 18 “You shall also make a laver of bronze, with its base also of bronze, for washing. You shall put it between the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. And you shall put water in it, 19 for Aaron and his sons shall wash their hands and their feet in water from it. 20 When they go into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to the Lord, they shall wash with water, lest they die. 21 So they shall wash their hands and their feet, lest they die. And it shall be a statute forever to them—to him and his descendants throughout their generations.”

In order for us to enter in to the presence of God we must wash ourselves in the laver or with a mirror or with the word of God. We have often heard the phrase God does not see us, He sees Christ. This needs to be our perspective as we look into the mirror. Over time as we move closer and closer to God we must see more and more of the image of Christ forming in us.

The reason a lot of us cannot see Christ in others especially non-Christians is because we cannot see Christ in ourselves. By His grace we are being transformed into the image of God until we can become consciously one with the presence of He who is in the midst of us.

On the quantum level photons leave a light source to be exchanged with other photons and they are captured in the layers of the mirror and again exchanged and finally captured by our eye where an image is projected on our conscious. It takes about 8 minutes for light to travel from the sun to earth. So when we look at the sun we see and image that is 8 minutes old. The same is true with our image in the mirror but scripture say when we see Him fact to face we shall be like Him.

Romans 8:19-25  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. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

As we gaze into the mirror of the Word of God we begin to see that we are more than just humans or sons of Adam. We begin to understand with spiritual senses that we are children of God constructed uniquely to host the very presence of God our Father. But it takes Jesus the Christ and Jesus the Master to open the way of truth and transformation. Not only is He the example of what we can become but He is the Grace and forgiveness that allows us to look past the errors of our past so we can be reconciled and live as our Father intended.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

The main reason for not making a false image is because we are being transformed into the image of God. So as we become true sons and daughters of God our children will emulate what they see. If the generations are moving away for the Master’s image is because we are modeling ourselves after a false image.

We are joint heirs with the King of the Kingdom and if the world is turned off toward Kingdom it is not the fault of our King. As we live out truth and demonstrate truth it should appear to be so valuable that people will violently want the KoG. All of this starts with step number one, which is simply acquiring an understanding how a mirror works. Here is a hint. A mirror is a device that captures and reflects light to display forth a clear image. The Kingdom is not rocket science and it can be understood by all. Jesus was sent to this earth realm by our Father to make the spirit plainly visible. We like Christ are the ancient gates to the revelation of His spiritual Kingdom.

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

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April 22, 2012 · 8:20 pm

The Spirit of Physical Evidence

So far we have discussed two types of evidence, exculpatory and testimonial.  The next type of evidence I want to discuss is termed real (physical) evidence. This type of evidence is a material object presented to prove a fact. Real evidence can be authenticated by other evidence to establish its chain of custody.  As you know the fact we are establishing is the Kingdom of God, which is spiritual and not physical. So the question is can there be real (physical)  spiritual evidence?

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

God our Father understands that we are materially oriented.  God sent His Son Jesus from the spiritual realm to appear in the flesh so He could provide physical (real) evidence to us citizens of the earth realm. Flesh and blood, bread and wine are material things that are presented to us as physical evidence so we can experience spiritual reality. The transition of our understanding from its material orientation to a spiritual one is not easy. Even more difficult is living in that realm where everything that we need here on earth for life and godliness is supplied from the spiritual Kingdom of God (KoG). Adam lived this way before the fall and Jesus the last Adam demonstrated that we also can live, not by our physical power or might, but by the Spirit of God.

John 6:57  As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

John 6:66 From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

In John Chapter 6 we witness a dialog after Jesus performed a miracle by feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. The big picture and the purpose of this real evidence is to change the minds of all who review this testimony. Upon hearing this testimony we are all forced to judge by either accepting or rejecting the KoG which is the object of this physical (real) evidence. In order to operate in the Kingdom we must transition or mindset from carnal (earthly) thinking to spiritual thinking. 

John 6:30-32 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat. 32Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.

John 6:42 And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

John 6:53-54 Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

Carnal thinking people are always trying to get more food or earthly stuff. To think from earth’s point of view is natural but to think from a spiritual point of view is to live in God’s Kingdom or presence. Jesus who is Spirit put on flesh and blood and called it bread and wine. Then He takes it a step further and asks us to eat and drink His heavenly bread and wine. His physical body was beaten before death and Thomas one of the Disciples pressed his finger in the hole of Jesus’ hand after His resurrection. This supporting testimony establishes a chain of custody authenticating the evidence of Jesus our Brother in flesh and blood form on earth.

Today we make up the jury of peers and as we share this testimony others join the jury pool. Each person must decide for themselves to live spiritually or turn back and live by the sweat of their work. Feeding five thousand is spiritual living. Turning water to wine, opening blind eyes, healing deaf ears, freeing people from bad relationships and reconciling them to our Father in heaven is normal spiritual living. Causing situations where stage four cancer leaves a body and witnessing the restoration of non-working or missing limb is all part of a joyful spiritual lifestyle.

If you are reading this blog I believe you are a child of God and an heir to the KoG. I know that once reconciled you will begin to believe the evidence presented by the Spirit of God and live up to our Father’s full expectation for your life. We were born for a time such as this and Father has placed His Spirit inside of us so that failure will not be and option. So go in His authority and may signs and wonders follow you always as you live out the scripture below. 

Luke 4:18 “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;

 

 

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March 17, 2012 · 6:11 am

You Can’t Hide Truth

 This post will look at a relatively new rule of evidentiary procedure. A “Brady Violation” occurs when the prosecution fails to disclose evidence that is exculpatory (favorable) to the defendant or disclose an agreement of leniency in exchange for testimony. The office of the prosecutor is not forced to discover evidence favorable to the defense, but if during the investigation if it discovers evidence, it must reveal that evidence to the defense. The goal of a legal system should be to provide justice and remain blind to all political influence.

 In the business world individuals, corporations and nations when they discover something a paten can be placed on the discovery for their exclusive use. The discoverer has total discretion concerning the discovery and can use it for personal profit or share the benefits with a select group of friends. However, the justice system is organized with the belief that full disclosure of all evidence is the best way to bring about the understanding of truth so the judiciary can make fair decisions. This highlights a major difference between the justice and the business market system.

Psalm 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.

 So in trying to show how we could handle evidence concerning the Kingdom of God (K0G) let us notice the similarities for the disclosure of evidence. Remember that Kingdom evidence establishes fact and provides truth concerning the KoG. Therefore suppression of Kingdom evidence is not a way we should handle this evidence. The scripture that refers to “hiding your light under a bushel” would be in application if we prevented the truth from being known. Our goal as ambassadors is twofold. The first is to reconcile the estrange children of God to an adoptive relationship with their heavenly Father. The second is to advance the purpose and mission of the kingdom so it may have the effect to free people from the bondages of this materialistic world.

 Since the mission “on earth as it is in heaven” is not complete we witness the evidence of bondages such as sickness, death, poverty, and broken relationships. When members of the Kingdom exercise their kingdom authority they set people free from the bondages of this world. For example, when people try to escape poverty and war of one nation by getting a new passport and it does little to help one achieve escape velocity from the cultural mindset. The same is true of people that move from one church to another church organization there is little or no spiritual transformation and most likely Kingdom living is not the result of the move.

 I would also guess that in the days following American Slavery life as a share cropper probably provided no visible evidence that the civil war had provided freedom. But now that we have a common knowledge of the truth concerning the illegalities of slavery, if we visited a home and witness slave like conditions something would rise up on the inside of us prompting us to do something to free that person.

 John 8:32
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

 

The same is true for true spiritual freedom. We have heard testimony and seen evidence of cults and control freaks in leadership, but do we have enough evidence to understand what would  Jesus did to be free and set others free? If the answer is to change church organizations then we have not the understanding of the Christ evidence. I am talking about individuals walking the earth today in the authority of “the Lord is my shepherd” and demonstrating the Kingdom of God. I must admit that my life falls short but that does not deny the evidence of biblical truth.

 In the light of certain evidence the conditions and culture will bow to the truth. In times past we believed the earth was flat and the sun revolved around the earth, but today the evidence has caused conditions and culture of the world to change. Likewise America provides evidence to the world that all people are created equal and we witness the culture of the world changing daily.

 My question is what evidence will we demonstrate from the Kingdom? The knowledge of evidence sets people free and we witness greater lifestyle changes as we become the living evidence for others to witness. If everyone in our circle of influence is still in bondage then we must examine the Kingdom evidence we are providing.

 

1 Corinthians 2:3-5
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

 

Note: Remember the Kingdom is within your being. If you are looking for or expecting something to come from outside of your being it will not be Kingdom evidence. Evidence such as love, justice, peace, redemption, health, wealth and truth all come from the Kingdom within and we allow God to flow out to others as evidence. I see you I see the Father.

 …Peace out

 

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