GOD ALL POWERFUL

I found God in a nontraditional way. I had been researching world religions, meditation and astrology.. That was 39 years ago. After some disillusionment with church interpretations of the message of God, contained in the Bible, I've been studying (the Bible) on my own. And now we have such great study aids and apps these days! Tracing the words in verses back to the original Greek (or Hebrew) is SO revealing. I tell you we have greatly underestimated Him! My son asked me almost 20 years ago - "Why was the tree of knowing good and evil in the garden?" and "Isn't it great we get to be an ant farm?"

You know.. I wasn't satisfied with my answers, so I prayed and the answers knocked my socks off. Clean off, and they're still knocked off. And it's ultimately so simple.

Short story we're no ant farm. 'Hell' is a mistranslation of four words (four words! Five if we count pit - the "dusty pit".) Any punishment is "corrective", especially seeing as he is Father.. "God is the savior of all" 1 Timothy 4:10. Jesus said He will draw all to Him, John 12:32. Philippians 2:11 - "Every tongue will wholeheartedly confess that Jesus is Lord.." (Taking into account the Greek.) And SO many verses which, somehow, go unseen. But alas, I am not the only one who sees them! Peace! God bless! [Note to self, make a list of web sites and blogs. Tentmaker.org is one I think of right away.]

A Daily Reading Schedule - The Gospels blended into two 6 month readings - Letters and the Prophets in the order believed written..

All Manner Of Doctrine

It's great to be able to go on the world wide web and discuss all manner of doctrine with many others of the household of God.

But when He comes, will He find us teaching "believe in Jesus" or will He find us beating one another? Will He find faith on the Earth?

The most insidious thread having weaved its way into the fray, is the thought that if one disagrees with another's doctrine, they are not part of the household of the Lord.

When Jesus prayed - let them be one as the Father and He are one. And the scripture says the fruit of the flesh (imperfect carnal character) includes such things as sects, party sentiment, factions.

We all should always remember to rightly divide our zeal for Truth and the spirit of competition, which of course, competition, is of that lower flawed and carnal character. Truth needs no one's defense. Our attitude should be say it and shake the dust..

Whenever we spy an insidious thread slithering its way amongst us we should immediately pierce it in its tracks with the sharp double edged sWord of Truth. (Pierce it with love.)

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" - the Apostle John, 1 Jn 4:7,8.

Such words will likely not convince one who does not love, but perhaps such words may prevent one who does love from falling into the same snare.

Peter Said - I’m Going Fishing

I grew up a couple of hours away from the ocean. So I love the verses in the New Testament if they mention the seashore.

We’ve all read the account of Jesus in the morning meeting the apostles on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias.

“Tiberias” I think is another name for Galilee (?)

Yes it is, I looked it up - I have Biblehub’s app, so I have the interlinear study tools on my phone. (Hooray!)

The town of Tiberias is on the west side of the lake, so I’m thinking this means they were on the western shore. It likely was the custom, if you were on the western shore, to call it Sea of Tiberias.

So I was reading this - John chapter 21, where Jesus asks apostle Peter “lovest thou me?” (Ye olde englishe is how I first read it, so it's how I always 'hear' it.)

“Do you love me more - “and it’s usually translated as “more than these others?” or just “more than these”.

But today I was reading it in the Contemporary English Version and it said Jesus was asking “do you love me more than these others do?”

I thought, “what..!? ...No way.. that’s just taking it too far” (out there..) So I just had to read it in the interlinear. Well interlinear says the word used means “this”. Could it possibly be “do you love me more than this?” (Peter had said, “I’m a going fishing!” His livelihood and possibly pastime.. spent much of his life on the sea fishing..)

The language! It’s all Greek to me! I’ve tried trying to figure out the different spellings of the word usages.. Is it noun, verb, adjective..? Does it point forward, backward..? (Is there a sideways?)

So I looked up other translations of that version of the word, and I looked up other translations of the verse, and aha! “The Aramaic Bible in Plain English” translates it as, “do you love me more than these things?” So language wise it may not be an outrageous way of thinking about that verse and scene.

(John 21:15) "Do you love Me more than all this?"

What Miraculous Power

Pilate and Herod "had been enemies", but on the day of Jesus' being accused and tried, "they became friends".

They didn't of course, become Christians or followers of Jesus, but just being in Jesus' presence brought them benefit. Changed something in them, at least long enough to become friends, from being enemies.

! What miraculous power is this?!

When He endowed thinking ability, it's like a Pandora's box was flung open!

Why? Because with thinking ability comes the ability to make choices. And so a whole new world (tree) of possibilities came about.

And letting everything run its course (obviously?) so that all things need to be "subdued". And by that whole process, the chaos exploding, and the subduing of it through Jesus (through whom all things were originally made) all things are restored.

And by end of subsequent ages (two?) everything is locked into place. Making perfect paradise for all. Love will be the ruling force. "God is Love" 1 John 4:8

A 'big bang'. From choas. To locked into (perfect) place.

! What miracle power is this!?

In The Quietness

Imagine life with no advertising, no television, internet, YouTube, or even ringing or notifying phones. (Just person to person text, lol.) It's okay to imagine this!

Sit outside in your garden, your living space. And enjoy the inner spirit of quietness. If you wait peacefully, God Himself will send you a hello.

It may be a butterfly drifting by.. or even a bee. A breeze, or a flower you notice.. A chipmunk scampering across the yard, or a squirrel along a tree branch.. And, or, He will speak to your heart in the quietness..

This is now, through Jesus, our Holy of holies, the place where we meet with God our Heavenly Father.

 (We can cultivate all day, the spirit of inner quietness.)

Grace

Lately I've been thinking how the Father and Son are all the government we need.

"The government is upon His shoulders" (Jesus') "there will be no end to the increase of peace." (Isaiah)

Father and Son - our sun and moon being a tiny shadow of - His Spirit of Life shines forth, into and throughout all things. Shining out from the center, all things revolving around His Throne.

But with rationality comes all manner of choice. (Thankfully limited, lol.) And it's being let to run its course.. afterall, what is learned under a dictatorship? Through faith (knowing and trusting) the redemption (from imperfection and its result, death) we align ourselves with the transforming power of grace. Ultimately (surely?) an all powerful force.

"....the Spirit gives Life." (2 Corinthians 3:6)

A Line

𐂕 There was a line.. a thought, many (many) years ago, which drifted across a very blue sky.. and hit me in the head. After which, my life was never the same. I was never the same.
     What was this thought? "You've been learning about the forces in the universe" - I'd been reading up on world religions, and then astrology (spiritual) - "and what about the force that created the universe, and what if that force has consciousness?"

     Today while watching the last episode of one of the best shows I've ever watched, I heard this line - which sounded awfully familiar. I'll begin it midstream, where it struck me as familiar, "...about the forces that bind the universe, but what binds humans? Love.."*

     It's the same answer for both questions - "God is Love" - 1 John 4:8. ("Love never fails" - 1 Corinthians 13:8.)

"...until the time comes for the restoration of all things (pas - every, all, the whole)"... Acts 3:21

"..made known to us the mystery of His will.. at the fullness of time, to bring all things in heaven, and on earth, together in Christ." Ephesians 9:10

"...through Jesus, to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven.." Colossians 1:20

And Revelation 21:5,4 - "Behold I will make all things new.. and death will be no more nor mourning nor crying nor pain; they will be no more.." None, anywhere!

God is love. ...Love never, ever, fails.

(*Last episode of "Numbers".)

Beware The Rules

Galatians 5:1 says -
                    "..Christ has made us free! And do not be entangled again by a yoke of servitude".

This does not of course, mean a believer and follower of Jesus is free to live a dissolute life! As Paul wrote "God forbid!" and "those things lead to death, where's the attraction?"

That's why The Way is a "narrow way"! Because there's huge ditches on either side! One is the ditch of license. And the other is the ditch of "rules". Beware the rules!

The first churches were not as we have our churches now. They were brothers and sisters (in love with God and Jesus) getting together. And following the Spirit.

The first enemies - "love your enemies" - were the 'Judaizers'. They wanted Gentiles (non-Hebrew, not under the Law of Moses) believers to become Judean. If we read the Letter to the Galatians, or any other letter actually, but especially Galatians, it's obvious this was not the plan of God. [Also Acts chapter 15, of course.]

And we can see that spirit today. It's always been very active! You must do this, you must not do that. When The Way is a relationship. And the living upon God's Word and Spirit (bread and wine of life). "If you are led of the Spirit, you will not be doing the acts of the lower carnal character." You just won't. You are following and yearning after the Spirit and drinking of the Word of Life. That is The Way of transformation and 'self improvement' - though it is NO act of self.

When we seek to follow rules.. any rules, to be 'right with God', approved of by God.. we have stepped out of His plan. We are saying or trying to believe, that God will owe us acceptance, like wages. (On the Holy Day "you will do NO work!") It is a gift. It is His doing. It is a recognition and affirmation that HE, is the only source of good. (The only source of Life!) And this is "all given to us, freely, through Jesus".
     "That the spirit in our heart cries 'abba, Father!' is the sign and seal and proof that we are His! His pledge that all that He has promised shall be given." And "He is faithful to carry out the good work which He has begun in us". ..."via the same POWER which rose Jesus from the grave."

The other - "any 'other' gospel" - has not that power. It's a dead end. It's a ditch.

It comes in many guises. The second 'enemies' of the gospel (news/good news) were the gnostics. They had a very large whole set of rules! They believed matter, the universe, was why mankind was flawed and the world was as it is. That somehow we (life) had 'fallen into matter' and this is what we needed to be saved from. The body was especially evil, and all its functions. Of course this led to other sects of the belief, which was license, for if all earthly functions were evil, like eating and drinking (and breathing? And don't forget, the bible says "honorable [is] the marriage in all, and the bed undefiled".) So if even walking was 'evil' then what the heck, why not just do anything and everything since it was the body itself that was guilty, lacked character, and hey, this must all be God's fault! And my special insight/knowledge/gnosis is what will set me free!

How crazy is that!? But it's the root and foundation of any "rules" system. And unlike the "freedom in Christ" it's a system of following humans and a human group. We get this from individuals and from organizations. It says 'believe in Jesus and.. ..and I'll tell you the special rule.. come and follow me..' And, or, be a part of my group..

I don't know why it works, but it seems to work very well.

Galatians 5:1 - "..Christ has made us free! ..do not be entangled again by a yoke of bondage".

Any personal conviction I may have.. be it vegetarian, or any rule I may choose to follow, is likely a wonderful thing.. but not mine to impose or even suggest to another. Paul - led of the Spirit to write a large bulk of the New Testament - said, "know only Christ".

Genesis Chapter Two

Why is there a second account of the creation of man?

Man is made of the soil of Eden?

Acts 17:26, The Living Bible - "He created all the people of the world from one man, Adam, and scattered the nations across the face of the earth.."

Genesis 3:20 - "The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living."

An inheritance from one man - "Romans 5:12 - "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.."

The second account is an insert and addendum to the first.
The first says man was created. The second tells us how.

The first account's setting is the world and universe. The second account is how the creation of man and woman occurred in the section of the world designated as the Garden of Eden.

"Then God said, `Let us make man in our image.. ...So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female created He them." (Genesis 1:26,27) with "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female." (Matthew 19:4) -- Which is what is described in the insert/second account.

By What Authority

Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)

This was the morning after Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. (Matthew 21:12)

By what authority..? They had to have been kidding right?! I mean Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment.. great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them.. the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.. When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.. And the whole crowd sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.. as He went, the crowds were pressing against Him.. (Mark 6:56; Matthew 19:2,21:14; Luke 4:40,6:19,8:42) 

Who gave You this authority? Either they were so focused upon this world, their world and day, and their seats of power and staying in Rome's good graces, they couldn't see. Or they knew and plotted to silence Him (by death) anyway.

But don't forget! Because Israel didn't recognize (though some did, many common folk) the coming of Messiah and the fulfilled prophecies, the good news went out to the nations, all according to God's blueprint, plan and will.
     Romans 11:15 - For if the casting away of them (from the faith) be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? (Resurrection, which occurs at His return and the arrival of the second advent.)

Postscript

Our heavenly Father - it only possible that He be in complete control of all things - did 'create evil'. Albeit, indirectly. How? By creating rational creatures. (Surely?) I.e. He did not create us as robots. Even the angels cannot be called robots as some "left their first place" - "place" more accurately translated as (left their) appointed position.

This does not mean we have what's commonly called 'free-will' as we all have boundaries and limitations, in many ways, etc, etc.. where and when we live for example.

The reason for pointing all this out, is because of another strange theory, which is the idea that something unexpected occurred and took God by surprise and mankind was 'captured' by an enemy (adversary), the fallen angel called Satan and dragon. Of course this 'being taken by surprise' is impossible.

Why do we suppose that He only created the universe and man and woman, not only after the first (bound to occur) rebel, or wayward thought not only occurred but had ripened and fully matured into outright revolt, sedition and trickery? Didn't He know what would happen?

Of course He did! ...So why do you suppose He did it in just that way?