Tag Archives: truth

Branches of Spiritual Life

2014-01-12 10.31.51If one was to pull a big ripe juicy apple from a tree you would have a picture that represents the common understanding of the relationship between God and mankind. By holding that freshly plucked apple we have depicted a separation between the apple and the tree. What is commonly understood is the immediate process of death. As the freshness drains from the fruit so too does the value of the apple. In other words the sooner the apple is eaten the more life it can transfer.

Likewise once the umbilical cord is cut and once the human consciousness is activated we children of God begin to learn that we are separated from God. Even thought that is not true there is nothing in this material realm that has been able to convince most humans that they are more than just sons and daughters of Adam, that they are the apples of God’s eye and that they can never be separated from God our heavenly Father. Just because a physical separation has taken place does not mean that a spiritual connection does not still exist.

Romans 8:38-39 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Consciousness is simply our translation and perception of reality. Once Adam became convinced that he was separated from God, God in his mercy asked he and eve to leave the garden so they would not obtain eternal life convinced that they were separated from God. Today even the Christian orthodoxy holds to the belief that only after death are we humans again reunited never to be separated from God again.

1 Corinthians 15:45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

The reason Jesus was sent and the purpose of His ministry was to convince all humans that they are and will always be the daughters and sons of God. One of His important titles and office of great authority is that of “Last Adam”. Jesus became the first human since Adam to possess a consciousness in this material world that would dare to declare that man is a child of God and that God and man are connected as one. His entire demonstration was interpreted as supernatural because from a material point of view there was no visible connection to a life source that produced the “miracles” displayed. As He tried to convince the members of the religious community during the time of His ministry they became fearful that His demonstrations of life would lead their followers away and so we humans conspired and killed Him.

The question of the post is; can we humans change our point of view from our material perspective to one that perceives from a spiritual or kingdom of God point of view and behold the life connection we have with God? God’s spiritual Kingdom gives life to all that are connected however the humanistic material kingdoms on earth gather resources (taxes, tithes, food, clothing etc.) to maintain the life of the kingdom.

John 15:7-8 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

1Corinthians 11:23-25; 28-30 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. 30 For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.

Taking communion was to be a conscious reminder of the life connection and unity between man and God. Before Jesus there were hints that a day was coming that all would be made new. However because understanding this requires more than an earthly perspective the purpose and authority of Jesus ministry is mostly interpreted as something that happens after life on earth.

Still today most humans respond in the same way as Martha when facing the death of her brother.

John 11:20-24 Now Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met Him, but Mary was sitting in the house. 21 Now Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

But the truth of all matter is that we humans have an eternal connection to God the source of life now, before death. Jesus understood this connection and embodied it, declared it and demonstrated it for the purpose letting us know we also have this connection.

Jesus declared and his words ask each of us today.

John 11:26-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. 26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

If we focus on verse 26 which states “whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die.” We can see the difference between the mind of Jesus and the mind of the average human. The gap is huge. Jesus is not disputing the truth about life after death, nor did our Father in heaven contradict that truth but used it when he asked Adam and Eve to leave the garden before they ate of the tree of eternal life. Eternal life with Eternal God is possible now and it is a reality that our consciousness must embrace.

In John 15:5 Jesus declares “I am the vine, you are the branches…” indicating that our function is to help people understand that they are connected to God’s life source and that life can flow through them as well. As ambassadors of a spiritual kingdom we live and work in this material realm helping all sons and daughters of God to understand that their life source connection to God is intact and may become active even if the illusion is that we are cutoff.

We are called children of light because we can illuminate the truth concerning this spiritual connection that was made available to all humans by the ministry of Jesus. Many are not ready to see or accept but that does not negate our obligation to live the reality of our understanding openly for anyone to see. To conceal this reality is like hiding a lamp under a basket. We each have been given authority to empower others to become conscious of this connection of life. Branches are not the source of life they are just the conduit that makes a path in this material realm.

I want to encourage us because we are of the Wi-Fi generation that understands connections beyond physical boundaries so we are not constrained by religious tradition or political protocol.  Our understanding liberates us to communicate truth of a spiritual nature even if our assignment is bound to this material realm. If we walk in love and speak truth in love we will see life blossom even in the most dark and chaotic places in this material realm. For where the life force of the Lord is, there will always be life and liberty.

Notice how this modern translation below puts the reality of this truth to a point somewhere in the future. How does your bible translation record the passage? Read, pray and ask God is this a now truth or is this only a future truth? If you feel like sharing please comment so I and other followers of this blog may know what God is speaking concerning the presentation of this truth pro or con. Thank You!

Romans 8:18-22 (New Living Translation NLT)
The Future Glory
 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. 19 For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. 20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

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Are You An Embassy Without Walls?

2013-07-07_1098911_67628863Crime Scene Investigators primarily use their powers of observation to provide context for the evidence they collect. First responders are trained to preserve the state of the crime scene evidence by setting up a perimeter until investigators can collect the evidence. In some cases for prolonged investigations crime scene tape and police seals stand guard to protect the evidence for longer periods of time.

 

Likewise walls and fences around an embassy stand guard to protect the valuable evidence of the sovereign territory contained within the walls. To the persons on the outside the evidence may hold a value of life or death, granting them due process under a different set of laws, which may give them safety from harm. All that stands between them is the wall, fence and guards.

 

The US Embassies around the world use specially trained Marines and a corps of diplomats who understand these articles of evidence. These articles include passports, flag orders, diplomatic documents, vehicle license plates, classified documents and the like.  Anyone on the outside of the wall in possession of one of the articles may use it to gain access to the full measure of sovereignty represented by that country inside embassy wall.

 

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

 

Matthew 10:7-8 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

 

Daughters and Sons of God are embassies of God’s Kingdom. They are representatives of mankind who are consciously aware of what we carry on the inside and they have removed the walls so that any human they encounter may freely access the sovereignty of the Kingdom they carry on the inside.  Unlike man-made kingdoms any person can run up to an embassy of God’s kingdom and claim asylum and a true citizen will grant immunity, safety, justice in the form of reconciliation, adoption and forgiveness.

 

Matthew 7:5-7 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

In my opinion one of the big mistakes some religious systems make when they try to get people to recognize the value of what they carry by placing a wall around it. Provoking people through jealously is a tactic that God used but He never made it harder to acquire the His Kingdom and His sovereignty.

 I believe the orthodox interpretation of the scripture that says do not “cast your pearls before swine” has been wrongly applied and taken out of its context, not that I have the full understanding. But when you look at the two scriptures that surround verse 6 of Matthew 7 the goal of a Kingdom diplomat remains to give away what is Holy to those outside of the Kingdom freely making them members of our Father’s Kingdom of which we all were once strangers and in some ways still remain estranged.

 

Like police tape, the bible has preserved the scene of Jesus ministry and reveals the context in which He dispensed reconciliation, adoption and forgiveness from our Father in heaven. As disciples of Jesus we are commanded to likewise make disciples of all that we meet. Because all that we have to give is what is on the inside and if we put walls and fences around that then how effective will we be. We are called to freely give away what we have freely received.

 

But wrongly many believe they paid a price for their relationship with God’s Presence and so they feel the need to exact a price instead of giving away what they consider valuable.  However this leads to bad valuations of what God paid as a price. From a human perspective that value could vary with as many people who received the gift of His Presence. But we must remember that Jesus died because no human on earth at the time of His death could truly understand the value of our Father’s Gift to humanity. Even today some would limit the value of God’s Presence for themselves and their friends.  So the question still remains, did Jesus truly die for every human?

 

One of the reasons we fence in the US Embassy is to keep citizens of a foreign country from just running up and requesting asylum. If this were not the case our country would grow, we would have to extend benefits to these new citizens and the host country could become destabilized. What human would not want be a citizen of the most powerful nation on the planet. However if we wall in the sovereignty, freedom, power and blessing of God’s Kingdom then we miss the point of our citizenship.  Jesus was not only just sent to make the kingdom known, He was also sent to make the Kingdom available.

 

The truth of spiritual reality is that there is death outside the walls of God’s Kingdom. And unfortunately there are people and organizations that would have you and the rest of the human population to remain outside of God’s Kingdom. But God’s plan continues to send out Sons and Daughters who are conscious of who they are so they can offer His Kingdom and increase the number of Daughters and Sons who in turn are also willing to go out.  So I encourage us all too freely give away that which we have been freely given.

 

Matthew 21:33-40 “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.

 

40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”

 

Romans 8:16-17  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.

 

Gal 3:28-29  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.

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Evidence of Our Truths

Our life is evidence of what we believe to be true. If we were to ask a non-Christian to give us a one word description of Christianity in North America many of us would most likely hear the word hypocrisy. For me this is very understandable and it shows that for us who have become born to the spirit have truly taken the first step on our evolutionary journey to becoming daughters and sons of God. Even though Jesus says we shall be known for our love, today most of us are seen in the midst of a struggle as we learn deal with our new citizenship. We Christians have become citizens of two worlds and our struggle with this new reality can at times appear to outsiders as hypocrisy.

As Americans citizens of the material world we hold certain truths to be evident. Also as citizens of the Kingdom of God (KoG) we are beginning to become conscious of spiritual truths. Dual citizenship is always tough because loyalty is required from all the groups we are involved with. North American Christianity as a religion and like other worldly organizations tend to define themselves by who they are not. Thus because of our dual citizenship the charge of hypocrite will always stick and rightly so because we are born out of that world.

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

2 Corinthians 3:16-17  Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

As citizens of God’s Kingdom our journey or pursuit is truly about becoming like Jesus. If Jesus demonstrated one thing it is that it is possible to live free from this world’s distractions, claims and desires and live a life fulfilling the will of His Father. As Americans however we hold these truths self-evident that God created all men to be equal and that we all are endowed with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The question is which system can deliver on its claim?

The American experiment is still wrestling with that question and many Christians in America find themselves caught between two worlds. The advancement of civil liberties to all of its citizens is a beautiful work in progress. We have seen freedom of religion, full citizenship for the African slaves, voting rights for women, equality in the workplace and now our pursuit for equality of people having a differing sexual orientation. This is truly an evolving experiment of bringing to light liberating truths.

The Kingdom of God however starts with the premise that all of creation is good encouraging all of it citizens to relate in a framework of equality and love. We are baptized by one Spirit whether we are Jews or Greek, slave or free or male or female. Our status as children of God and our rights as citizens of the Kingdom has been guaranteed by the work of our first sibling Jesus.  We all have been made joint heirs because of the effort by our Father in heaven.

In some ways hypocrisy is good because it means that the individual is still wrestling with the decision and the reality of dual citizenship. However scripture indicates that a double minded person is unstable and a luke-warm person will be spewed out in the end. We have been given an all or nothing deal between the spiritual Kingdom of God and the earthly kingdom of America. Our choice is simple are we going to be known for love or for our hypocrisy.

As Americans we can focus on our pursuit towards personal happiness and as Christians we can focus on getting in right relationship with our brothers and sisters. Hypocrisy may be our current status but in the end we will be judged by which set of truths our life has evidenced. We cannot afford to live a life solely on the traditions and revelation of those that went before us. Each generation and each individual must make their own choice by pursuing to understand more fully the truths that have been previously revealed.

Hypocrisy and  Love calls to each of us. The pleasures, authority and the will of each kingdom beckons for our heart. I hope my words encourage each of us to examine and take stock of the evidence we have amassed thus far in our lives. Not only will God our Father and Judge review that evidence but the generations that follow us are and will continue to review those truths that we hold to be self-evident. Their acceptance or rejection of that evidence has a lot to do with us who present such spiritual evidence.

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. 

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