God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 

Hebrews 1:1-4

I hear, recognize and understand the arguments for simpler text, a more seeker friendly version of God’s Word.  However, looking upon the above passage I am instantly decided that no other versioning would properly depict the gravity and the depth of its Holy Spirit inspired construction.  Simply observing that the above is one sentence, immediately makes “simpler” texts suspect, for each clause above is dependent upon the previous statement for structured understanding.  In man’s desire to make it easier for himself he divorces himself from dependence upon the Holy Spirit for discernment.  This text is amazing.  Let us look into what the Holy Spirit shows us within this tiny tract.  And I trust that you will investigate your favorite translation to determine, like the Barean God commanded you to be, if I am correct in my declaration.

What is in a name that its utterance or recognition could make someone more excellent than an entire segment of creation?  What does it mean to obtain a name by inheritance?  Is Word more powerful than thought?  Remember we are to meditate on God’s Word day and night, why?  What is so powerful that if I were to contemplate an idea over and again it would somehow become written upon my heart?  How does the “Anointed One Savior”(Jesus the Christ) properly describe a King of Kings?  Why is Jesus the “Word”?  How can someone be made so much better than the angels and not be God?  Doesn’t sitting at the right hand denote equality to a capitalized word, “Majesty”, which is the LORD God Himself?  This passage states that Jesus himself, purged our sins and upholds all things by the word of his power.

This passage says that Jesus is the express image and the brightness of God’s Glory through whom God made all things.  It pronounces Christ heir of all things that have been made, and as God’s appointed heir has been conveying God’s Word to faithful as God previously had done through prophets in sundry times and diverse places.  And the most amazing thing about this passage is that God is clearly the subject at the beginning but the passage miraculously changes subjects to Jesus midway without changing any descriptions.  And what completely knocks me over is that the Holy Spirit, also God, is conveying this entire description about Himself from a seemingly external perspective.  How then am I, a simple man to understand word of this complexity.  To be honest I can’t.  But I know who can and He is my teacher, friend, guide and counselor.  The Holy Spirit who lives in each of us that believe, God with us.  Praise Emmanuel for all His Glory, Devotion and Kindness in leading me to His side through His Word.  The Good Shepherd.  Amen.

Godsman, the man where saying what I will do and how I will do it, no longer adequate.  I am left with what I am and what God wants for and the space between the two, a space that I may never traverse, but God will reach regardless.  Regardless of my inadequacies, my bitterness, lack of hope, regret, remorse, doubt or prowess.  We want His greatest blessings and yet are unwilling to surrender to His commands, knowing fully it is the only way to reach our desire.

I must not strike the rock taking the quarrels of those around personally, forgetting God’s direction.  I must not rest for a moment, a moment of indulgence, allowing my sinful flesh to entice me toward adultery.  The kind of mistake that assures I will never achieve God’s greatest blessing in this life. God’s intended blessing for my existence may look like crucifixion or death by hungry lion, perhaps it will mean fame, fortune and ease.  Will I throw my hands in the air, giggling as gravity tests my resolve or will I scream in horror, clutching for handholds?  We all know I cannot and do not wish to get off the ride.  Isn’t it then joy that differentiates my passing?

Am I committed to reaching and embracing that blessing with joy, the joy of knowing I am serving God’s Plan to my greatest potential?  God is, regardless of my perception, reaction, obedience or attitude.  Will words convince you that I rejoice in God’s plan for my life even if it means martyrdom, most certainly not?  Faith is a robust discipline.  It may not simply be defined, appreciated and understood in its conceptual or theoretic form, though these are deeply satisfying.  Faith must be lived, for the living of life is its own meaning and may not be understood simply via observation or contemplation.

The new dilemma of the convicted Christian is to do it without simply saying what must be done in self-conversation.  We must not convince ourselves that we are doing what God wants we must give ourselves to the Potter’s Hand and allow the shaping to define the result.  Although, I have hints about what God is doing in my life and where He is taking me, I truly don’t know, arguably don’t want to know the destination He has prepared at the end of my edification.  For if I project it then I somehow maintain the deception that I may somehow bring about or sway the outcome.  The Holy Spirit lives in each of us, the House of God.  He will have His way.  Is God’s result my objective?  Then it is His power, authority, direction and miracles that will make it happen.  For example, what if I resisted God, refusing or dodging His every direction?  Do you think that would prohibit His success?  Isn’t that satan’s thinking?

He is my God, but that statement implies some manner of ownership on my part.  I am His, I belong to Him and am grateful/extremely fortunate to have His name and my own associated even the same book.  That is enough for me.  I prefer to throw my hands up high and yell whee!!!, enjoying the ride, not knowing to what glorious end it takes me.  It is simply enough that it is His end and that is the greatest blessing that I will ever enjoy.

By Grace, not by works, but works reflect a thankful, indebted heart.  I am useful to God, but I doubt that He ever needed me.  For what benefit does God receive for my righteousness, my piety, my performance?  None.  God defined righteousness so that when we encounter it we might name what we have seen.  He gave me His righteousness, as propitiation for my own lack thereof.  I do not breathe except that He created air, and lungs and autonomous nervous system reactions.  What He gave me was freedom from sin and death, a death I deserved for the sin that I committed, in violation of His defined terms and law.  He told me do a job, He allows me a choice to obey but obedience requires a command and a consequence.  I am to be Holy because that is what He wants me to be and here’s the kicker, He is the only one who can make that happen.  So, it’s His life, His definition, His rules, His righteousness, His power and His authority by which it gets done.  Where in that equation do I see any action for which I may accept glory for or criticism of acts for which I have no other impact but surrender and obedience?

What then is my part if I may accept no commendation for action or reward for self-help well performed?  My job is to want to be changed and know that God is faithful to complete that transformation.  My job is to love Him with every fiber of my being/reality and reason.  My job is to joyfully accept what He has given, including difficulty and obstructive circumstance for those are the exact moments at which I need Him most.  Those are the moments when I will truly see His hand upon my existence and know completely that I had no part in the miracle.  That is when I am a victim and victor of Glory.  My job is to love you enough to forgive you every time you ask and spend every ounce of the knowledge, sweat, cash and energy God has given me to make sure that you join us in eternity.  I must care enough to act and in so doing demonstrate my faith in God’s Plan.

The enemy serves God, the Lord Jesus rebuke Him if He so chooses.  He drives me to God for protection, love and direction or repentance as reaction to  discipline.  I cannot fight the battles to which God’s enemy’s goad me.  It is not my fight, it is not my power that the enemy fears, they fear Christ.  It is the Holy Spirit inside me from which they run, their only hope to get me into my flesh, denying my fealty and entering in to skirmish that I may not win.  My weapons are prayer and use of God’s Holy Word, none of these emanate from my authority.  I shall not be cajoled, prodded or deceived into trying to fight where I may not win.  I will remain victorious in Christ, standing in courage and the knowledge that my God fights for me.  Bring me the giants, for they cannot stand on the field my God prepares before me.  This is my task to bring Glory to His Name in a life well lived for Him, in Him, through His power, Grace and authority.  In Jesus Name I walk.  Amen

Sent into the waiting harvest and the crop is ripe.  Never before have I seen people so ready to argue, discuss, turn to or hear about the Lord’s Love for them.  It is my greatest honor to be serving the Lord in this manner, knowing that time is short as day nears dusk.  Living in my truck for the last two months, I have been led by the Holy Spirit from one Divine opportunity to the next, giving me enormous fulfillment in use of my specific gifts to help the lost, wounded, lame, blind and orphaned.  I will not be discouraged by the fact that I see so few believers acting in their role as ambassadors, for the Lord has a plan for each of us.  I know that you will answer the call whether willingly or in bitterness, God’s Will shall be done.  If you don’t believe that look at the sign given to Jonah.

This is painful, but it is good pain, stretching pain, pain requiring my faith and courage.  I have seen the Lord smile as I am faced with the remnant of our faith, devout, praying, studying, waiting and keeping their eyes firmly upon Jesus.  I wish that I were in comfort but only for a moment as I look up at the star filled sky knowing that this is exactly where He wants me.  I wipe their tears, listen to their stories, worries and questions and love them as a manner of surprise, for they never feel worthy.  But being worthy has never been part of God’s grace, it is a suggestion and controlling influence put forth by the enemy to keep us in paralysis.  This is God’s work, my transformation, how then may my performance have anything to do with God’s Work.  I cannot critique, cannot accept the glory for it nor may I be concerned about its length, style, speed or depth.  He is the Potter, I am merely clay, what responsibility lay in clay, but to be formed.

Okay, so I cannot shower enough, write in my blog frequently or guarantee where my next payment will come from, but I can be guaranteed of more important things, like loving God by being obedient to His commands for my life.  That’s right, commands, not suggestions.  He is my master, by choice but master none the less.  I must do what He directs.  Yes, he allows for my free will exercised in disobedience but that is merely the love of a Father allowing each son or daughter to obey or rebel.  I will be the joyous servant not the one faced with bitterness and regret.  It is a joy to do this work.  The fields are ripe it is time for the workers to reap the crop.  Come join me and be fulfilled or face the eternal regret of missed opportunity and reward in disobedience.

Christ did not look to see if they came, He merely commanded, “Follow Me”.  That is the main characteristic of a righteous leader, knowing that the task must be attended even if by himself.  What task are you leaving undone for Christ, because you have failed to heed His call to harvest?

I saw a street that needed sweeping, so i swept it and the local youth joined me seeing the favorable outcome of my efforts, never thinking to ask me why I would sweep a street upon which I do not live.  I saw an intolerable circumstance a grievous plight that turned my heart upside down.  I chose to help and others were left wondering how they could have helped instead of passing bye twice a day.  I saw a man headed for hell, left in the misunderstanding of grace and the forgiveness of his sin, so I told him of Christ and helped him to ask Christ into his heart and now we shall spend eternity together.

This is my America, He is my King of Kings and Lord of Lords, my master, my Father, my friend.  This is my job, not a travesty I seek to hang around the neck of every politician or spiritual leader.  I do not tithe to a church, I tithe to Christ and if you are asking for a membership fee then your heart is wrong and your doctrine in a hopeless twist.  Come to Christ, reap the harvest for it is ripe and the day seeks to end when the work will finish.

We are the workers and the crops are in the field.  How else will they get into the storehouse but we accept the work and get it done?  My God commands me.  My God says that obeying His Commands is the way to show my love for Him.  Obeying His commands then is my greatest worship.  Therefore I will sweep the street that is dirty, knowing that others will likely follow, but even if they don’t the street will be swept.  I will teach them that would disciple for Christ and provide opportunities where they might share the loving Gospel for their consumption, but I will not fret whether they follow for people must be given the opportunity to hear and react to the Truth.  The fields are ripe, I will work them regardless of who joins me, but I know the nature of leadership demonstrated by Christ my King.  If you do the work those with ears to hear and heart to follow will follow.

My country is in disrepair, physically, financially and spiritually.  God provides a way out but it requires that I, the Christian, humble myself and pray, turning away from my sin so that God will hear my prayer and see my actions and turn His face back toward healing our land.  Otherwise we will be overrun by pagans, which is currently happening due to my disobedience and lack of faith.  I will take up the cross, take up the shovel, paintbrush, hose or helping hand and set about the work, knowing that through me God will perform the impossible thing that is beyond my capacity.  Action is demonstrative belief, therefore I will act and know through faith that God will show up.  He always does without fail.  That is one of the thousands of reasons that I love Him so.  I pray for your action this day in the hopeful name of Jesus Christ the King.  May you be where the next miracle begins.

Ephesians 4 – I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?  He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ;  If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

I know you want butterflies, fairies and rainbows but God’s Wrath preached honestly includes none of that feel good mantra, so I ain’t preaching it.  What I will do is love you in the best way I know how and that is tell you the truth, then arm you with practical steps to deal with the implications of the Truth that God reveals.  The truth is we all know that it is alarming obvious that we are living in the end of the end of days.  Taking that in to account it is reasonable to assume that our service, dedication, faith and daily attention ought to have a direct, understandable, attached sense of urgency.  We ought to be real clear on what it is that God wants of us individually as saints and collectively as the body of Christ.

First, we were made in God’s image and we should reasonably expect that some of that image is obvious in our demeanor, our behavior perhaps even in our unseen spirit.  Since the Holy Spirit is the power of salvation and resurrection then if there is no evidence of His presence there is no salvation and no resurrection.  We were told that he would make us into new creatures and that the new creatures would resemble Him, the aspects of God, the Holy Spirit.  If you aren’t becoming more patient, kind, long suffering, faithful, peaceful or gentle then you individually should be truly concerned about your salvation and your church ought to be doing some fruit inspection of their congregation to assure that everyone can be assured of their salvation.  Review the scripture above and you will see clearly that we are given individual gifts with the intention of collective participation and performance for the Kingdom of God, through Christ via His Holy Spirit.

Second, since we all have different gifts with specific purposes then our training ought to be similar in the foundation of our Christian walk to maturity but then it ought to vary based upon the specific expectations of the obstacles and challenges inherent to each spirit role for the Kingdom.  If one is to be an evangelist then it is the church’s responsibility to prepare that person for that role, send them forth and welcome them back for refresh after each foray into the world for service.  The church should have the power of prayer to escort each member headed into the world stand on the field of spiritual battle armored with the knowledge of scripture, prayer and necessary courage to realize the victory God has preordained each of us.  Right now frankly we are powerless in the church because we have quenched the Holy Spirit to a position below the professional clergy, leaving us without the power normal to Christ’s beloved.  As well we are ignoring the duty of empowering and training the saints for their individual duty because we don’t have a proper understanding of our responsibility as clearly defined in Ephesians 4.

Third, crops grow outdoors, so the harvest will always be outside the church.  I am not saying that we shouldn’t have members in the church ready to receive those who are located on our forays in the field, but generally the work is out there, so that is where the church ought to reside.  We must transform the scheduling and current model of church worship and service to one that parallels our greatest form of worship that of loving God by obeying His commands.  These days require an ability to see the urgency of the times in which we find ourselves, the knowledge that we were made and saved for such a time and the denial of self necessary to serve God and others instead of our own focused plans.  Get out there and do what told you to do, you slave to righteousness, because slaves who don’t are simply disobedient in need of discipline.  And God disciplines those whom He loves, so we ought to expect Him to allow all the influences in our lives to sponsor our appropriate behavior if we refuse to heed His calling.

Finally, only God does miracles, only God is master of the impossible, only He has overcome sin and death.  It ain’t me who will defeat the enemy.  Certainly I will be there when the healing happens, the captive are set free and their souls saved for eternity, but I will always be a conduit or tool for the Lord’s Glory, never the origin.  My job is to love Him, love you, be ready and complete the work He set before me.  I will never be satisfied and frankly, His work will never be completed if I fail to get off my comfy cushion.  Additionally, God’s presence ought to be evident in everything we do, because if we can do it by our own talent’s, treasure, authority of effort where then was the need for God.  No church program will ever be sufficient to salvation as it requires the Holy Spirit’s Power from call to completion.  If our ministry may be done by either any talented Christian or any talented lost person then it is a ministry for our own glory not His.  We ought to be looking for the miracle and set upon achieving the impossible in full knowledge that through His Holy Spirit the impossible is our inheritance.  If I don’t need Him in what I am doing then it was never worth doing from the outset and will simply be burnt in the brilliance of His Glorious Appearing, leaving only that which was ordained and anointed by His Grace and Glory.

It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you they are spirit, and they are life.  But there are some of you that believe not.  John 6:63-64

Am I Thomas or Peter?  What evidence do I require, what words will convince or do I simply believe?  I have seen His Revelation, that is a thing from which I may not look away.  It is hard to give up our lives for Christ, yet we must if we are to follow and be disciples.  Simple service, keeping my place in the world will never suffice.  Oh, that means my relationships must be challenged if not lost, my wealth given voluntarily or taken with the added burden of bitterness, my life submitted to His guiding hand and direction.

I want so much to please you, those whom I love, but I have one Master, The Lord Jesus Christ.  You make me choose and He bids me choose, for me there is no choice, I choose life.  I love you enough to become the man that God intended.  I cannot stay, living a set of directives designed to provide a false sense of security and control over a life for which we never had any.  I stand and move forward as possible, knowing that the Lord has a destination for my progress, the result His Glorification.  I will never leave you or fail to cover your needs through His love for us, but I cannot be that man I was never intended.

There is no where else for me to go Lord.  You alone have life everlasting, this world offers only finite satisfaction.  Your Word is life, Your Love True and Your Faithfulness, even where it concerns my reformation is dependable.  Lord I hope that when challenged I do not deny, I do not run, but stand proclaiming myself Your Kin. Once again I am offered the opportunity to surrender all.  I have heard my voice in song saying these words, but they are just words without the walk of faithful action to confirm their truth.  Give me the courage to take the actions for which you have offered the opportunity.  Allow me to follow you with my whole being serving the purpose for which I was given breath.  Lead me to victory, a victory to which I have voluntary surrendered.  Teach me to love you enough to do whatever is right to do for Your Glory, Your Plan.  In Jesus Name I pray.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/playpopup.asp?SID=819072029150  A treat, old time pastor Vance Havner addresses staying on the path as a church.  Are you wiling to speak the truth even when it costs you everything?  The Holy Spirit will convict, motivate and edify through this spoken word.

Nothing sensational yet beyond comprehension.  No instant success only experience and growth.  We cannot proclaim peace while the battle rages around us.  Making a mark by showing the light in the midst of reigning dark.  Will you stand against the vain imagination of man, boldly proclaiming the truth of God’s Holy Gospel?  There will never be a peaceful coexistence between light and dark, one prevails the other flees.

Reaction and recovery are far less effective at preserving position, life and treasure than appropriate readiness.  As Christians we are called to preparation, practical understanding and consciousness.  The world would have us depend upon leaders and reactivity or roles of victimization to sponsor the pillars of a well constructed life.  We have been told to be ready, to give a defense of our faith, overcome the enemy through testimony, keeping our minds alert and watchful for signs of the Lord’s Return for the Church.  What then are we collectively doing in the church to make appropriate readiness for all the anticipated circumstances?

We know that we have a highly spiritual enemy, wandering around attempting to steal, kill and destroy.  This is an enemy who battles in the realm of the mind, using the lost and those not in right standing with God to delay, paralyze or completely eliminate our effective performance as conduits for the Lord’s intention.  What then are we doing in the church to prepare “all” parishioners for this battle that each of us “face” everyday?

Sin is a thing of the mind, Christ Himself telling us that the sin of adultery is actually committed when the sensory vision and thought interact to “covet” your neighbor’s wife.  There is no sin that ever happened having not been proceeded by thought, however momentary.  What then are we doing at the churches to prepare the minds of “all” parishioners to confront the practical application of surrendering their thoughts to the Holy Spirit in desire to prohibit the subsequent action of sin?

What makes the enemy flee?  The Word of God spoken in faith by believers.  Christ showed us this example, while in the desert, forcing the enemy to flee by speaking the Word of God.  How then are we preparing “all” parishioners for the “inevitable and guaranteed” meetings they will have with the enemy in their own desert of temptation?  How many are trained by leaders to recognize enemy presence and immediately employ the appropriate defense of speaking God’s Word to make the enemy flee?

This being the Truth, how then are we satisfied in our current church structure dedicated to a reactive or recovery stance?  We are going to be attacked, assaulted and assailed by God’s enemy.  Knowing that reacting after the damage is done is statistically exponentially less effective than being ready to employ adequate defense, why then are we apparently dedicated to a reactionary church body?

I am thoroughly befuddled and exhausted with/by my capacity to react and whine about circumstances, especially those for which I should have had reasonable expectation of their occurrence.  We are warriors, princes and priests, supposed to stand in good courage on the field of battle fully preparing our hearts, minds and bodies to see the Lord overcome.  If I know, with reasonable certainty that I will face certain struggles either within my family, my work or my spiritual walk then it is utterly unacceptable to go into those struggles without first defining them and then preparing adequate defense at least against their inevitable or likely occurrence.  For example if I know that there is outstanding sin  in my marriage, it is absolutely reasonable to assume that at some point in the future, the enemy will utilize that foothold to bring struggle into my or my wife’s life.  Both ignoring it, in hope that it will simply disappear or simply remaining unconscious of the circumstance lead to the same reactionary episode and lead to my action/inaction to deal with the repercussions of the incident.  Neither method acknowledges the presence of the Holy Spirit of God in my life.

Should I then as a soldier, an intercessory prayer warrior make a list of those events/struggles that have some level of anticipation?  Or better yet should I venture into prayer with my partners and ask God for some manner of insight into the circumstances for which I should have some reasonable expectation of occurrence?  Then once having made a list of those events, praying in preparation, studying in preparation and remaining conscious upon the watchtower in the mode of proactive Christianity to which I believe Christ calls us?  Must I remain a child in my faith and react to every situation as a victim or shall I embrace victory in the knowledge that I may behave like Christ in the midst of those predictable events and depend upon God for the miracle in the events that are beyond expectation?  I am tired of behaving and showing the world me when they really want to see Christ.  Forgive me Lord and let me begin to reflect your heart and spirit.

We were told by God to be ready.  We are not ready.  What is the definition of disobedience?  What is the definition of foolishness?  What is the definition of playing the victim?  After conviction change must ensue.  Are we willing to confront the nature of collective change so that we become consciously focused upon the readiness to which we’ve been directed?  We shall see or we shall remain asleep.  Again as with all Christianity it is about choice.  Which choice will you make?

It’s about meeting and working for and with God you know?  This is not some subjective, self punishment exercise, masochistically believing that I will reach heaven via scourging.  Christ has done enough to fulfill the demand for payment for every sin of every person on Earth.  Don’t you get it, there is no remaining debt other than repentance, belief in His sacrifice and faith in His Sovereignty.  There are no unresolved or remaining works for our redemption.  We have been set right with God if we will but believe.  We have been set free to serve our God out of reverent love for His Majesty, Righteousness and Grace.

Why then do most human religions continue to set up, demand and subscribe to a list of pious works, that must be performed, in order, on time and ratified by professional clergy in order to avoid painful afterlife?  Why do we continue to strive when the work has already been completed by a God whom loved us so much He fulfilled that for which we always were and always will be incapable?  We remain entranced by men seeking power and fallen compulsion that Christianity cannot possibly be that simple.  We are convinced that there must be a catch, a twist, another hammer yet to fall, so we fall under the influence of religious professionals eager to take a piece of our donation in exchange for their pronouncement of our acceptable piety.  There is no one between you and God but belief in Christ Jesus.  There are no layers, catechisms, holy rights, rituals or bands that we must reach to be heard by Almighty God.

Each of you whom believe are right with God.  Each of you is sealed by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God, destined for the good works for which you were specifically designed.  Each of you has access to God through prayer, worship and direct counsel via the Holy Spirit for discernment.  There is no person whom believes that is lower than any pastor or elder.  Certainly we must respect their authority in Godly matters but they are neither our masters nor any closer to God than each of us.  We are all princes and priests through Christ and will answer to Him directly for our walk here on Earth.  None of us will report to a pastor for judgement upon leaving this Earth, we will deal directly with Christ for admonishment and reward.  There is no one between you and God, that is what Christ did for us, redemption to direct relationship with the Father.

We are free to make our own decisions, choices and mistakes.  We can neither blame our families, our pastor, our elders or our wives/husbands and kids for those choices.  We have a direct responsibility to God, certainly those in positions of authority will be held to a higher expectation because of the influence and ability to lead sheep astray, but they too will have a one to one meeting with a Holy God upon leaving this plane.  We have but one advocate before the Father and His Name is Jesus Christ.  He alone is worthy to answer on my behalf, no one else will stand for me but Christ.  That is why I stand for Him.  I hope that upon that day you all hear those wonderful words we so desperately desire, “Well done good and faithful servant”.  In Jesus Holy Name.