In Christ No Sin is Found…

In Christ no sin nature exists. When He enters our hearts, Jesus recreates us into his own image by giving us His sinless nature. In the past, we have judged people because of sins. God doesn’t do that. He looks at the man or woman who is filled with His Son and sees only our new nature…our new heart—His heart.

If Christ is in us, then we cannot have a sin nature—at all. Does that mean we never make mistakes or errors? No…David was a “man after God’s own heart” from birth. He, unlike his older brothers, had a heart that wanted God. When God sent Samuel to find a replacement for King Saul, He chose…not a perfect man…but a perfect heart. Salvation did not come until the return of Jesus Christ for salvation after the cross. Therefore David remained in Paradise until he and those many like him from the Old Testament days were redeemed at the same “twinkling of an eye”…simultaneously with all the New Testament saints who were about to experience the entrance of God into their God-hungry hearts. We are among the New Testament saints who also received salvation at that exact moment.

Our picture of God is limited by our “time” perspective. God is eternal. What He does is eternal. Salvation is planned “before the foundation of the world.” In fact, it was completed eternally before time began because God sees everything eternally. God is. He is eternal existence and sovereign nature. God is Spirit. He exists. He knows.

We were eternal beings who lost our eternal inheritance through our father Adam. He threw away everything so that he could declare himself as a god. This is what Thessalonians is referring to when Paul speaks of the Anti-Christ. This is why the spirit of Anti-Christ is always with us. Men and women who don’t want God are Anti-Christ…always with us. The last Adam…Jesus…re-birthed us as his sons/daughters. This is Paradise regained. We are now in line for the eternal inheritance of Life as His son and daughter. When God enters at salvation, we regain what the first Adam lost—God’s Life, Presence, Wisdom, Counsel…and all the spiritual “goodies” including God’s Nature.

When God literally enters a man’s heart—his spirit, the soulish…emotion-ruled life dies. Sin, conquered at the cross, exits…because it is darkness. God’s Light totally extinguishes Sin’s darkness. Sin no longer exists in the Light-filled heart of the God-filled new creation. Therefore, since Christ and the Father have returned through the victory of the cross to literally live in the life of their new son or daughter, Sin and its fruits of evil are gone. This is the Good News—Paul’s Gospel.

God’s nature is now the ruling force in that God-created life. The Ten Commandments are no longer commands; they are promises. Since Sin is no longer ruling…God is…the inclination toward evil and its manifestations is no longer present. God’s new nature surfaces immediately. This is how we know that God is present in a life. There is no struggling or effort on man’s part; God no longer needs “appeasement.” Jesus’ sacrifice totally satisfied the Law of Sin and Death’s demands. Jesus arose heralding the Law of the Spirit and Life. We are free to be totally consumed by God!

Religion is a set of “beliefs.” God’s plan is active, alive, transforming. Religion sets rules. God liberates us from the sin nature that requires rules to keep those who choose to be their own god—the Anti-Christ—in line. Religion binds us up; God looses us and sets us free to know Him. His work is perfect. His work is complete.

Those who do not know God, yet, don’t necessarily understand this freedom found “in” Christ. That is not to say that they won’t know it someday. We don’t know the day or the hour that Christ will return to a man or woman’s heart; if there is a hunger for God, not one lost lamb will miss the Good Shepherd’s visitation. God knows His sheep, and they know His voice…another they will not follow.

This is truly Good News! Religion and its theology have often limited the Holy One of Israel in the minds of its followers…by framing His arrival in a religious context. This hasn’t stopped God from completing His work in individuals’ hearts. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Why? Sin is conquered for those who want God. Those who want God had their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life “before the foundation of the world.” God is God. Everything He does is eternal. That is why we inherit eternal Life…eternal God…when He enters for eternity.

Relationship vs. Religion

God never created a religion. Religion is a man-made phenomenon that creates false spiritual security for billions of believers.

Today’s religions include a separate set of rules, restrictions, and religious observances unique to their “faith.” Many base their religious ideologies on Biblical scriptural texts that obliterate God’s message by creating systems and organizations to “push” their belief system. Others create their own holy books written by charismatic leaders who also create false “pathways to God” for their adherents.

Characteristic of these belief systems is a teaching that describes man’s ability to “find” or “go to” God. God states emphatically that no mortal can “come to Him” because of the separation that came through Adam’s choosing his own darkness over God’s Light.

God, as result of that choice, removed His Light because He knows that His presence would totally obliterate all darkness—the entire human race. God’s grace required His absence from mankind. He set up a temporary set of rules to protect his wayward sons and daughters from the consequences of their own choice. He never intended The Ten Commandments would be misinterpreted as defining Him. His Ten Commandments are simply common sense rules any society that wishes to survive economically, physically, and morally must follow in order to survive. They are not a religious code of conduct.

What did our gracious God do, then? He sent a new Light into the world—His own Son, Jesus Christ. This new Light entered into man’s darkness to once again allow a relationship between mankind and His divine Deity be re-established. Jesus, in order to let His supernatural Light shine without destroying mankind, became a man. He emptied Himself of His Deity and Light. He became our darkness in order to take the totality of God’s wrath by shielding us from His Light. This volunteer substitution on our behalf shows God’s total love for rebellious mankind. God was willing to send His only Son to pay the price of our redemption by His own death.We needed an Intercessor…one who stands between us and God’s wrath. Without Jesus, God’s divine Son, no one could have withstood God’s Judgment. Christ’s death paid our debt; His Light, which was given back to Him through His divine resurrection, becomes our Light…our Way to God.

Since we cannot “go to” God—EVER, because of our darkness—God came to us. The entire Old Testament and its prophesies were completed through Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus meant when He stated, “It is finished!” on the cross.

Religions continue to look for supernatural interventions in the physical arena. Christianity, for instance, is still looking for a return of Christ. Christians are looking at physical Israel as a sign for that return. They use their doctrines established in Daniel and other Old Testament books to support their error. They fail to hear Jesus when He clearly tells us that His Kingdom is not of this world. He established a new Kingdom in the hearts of men and women. The New Jerusalem is not a physical place; it is the heart of every man, woman, and child whose heart desires God. Christ’s “return” is His entrance into each heart when God comes to him/her to dwell there eternally. There are no rules in this supernatural kingdom; the “rules” are now all promises. Within newly created hearts, God’s divine nature is the supernatural result. Men and women indwelt by God and filled with His nature are not religious; they are new creations. Their heart’s desire is to please God and to love those who despitefully use them. They do not kill, lie, bear false witness, commit adultery…and the list goes on …because they no longer have desires that require such actions or motives.

The relationship God creates through His Son’s intervention…it is through Jesus Christ we can once again become filled with God’s Light and not be destroyed…is perfect. Any heart who desires this relationship will be found of God. We cannot go to Him; He must come to us through His Son, by His Holy Spirit. When God knocks on the door of a heart who desires His presence, the Door (Jesus Christ) is immediately opened by God’s supernatural power…not by our efforts, obedience to a religious set of rules, political beliefs, or manner of living. God, the Father; God, the Son; and God the Spirit all enter as One when God’s Time for our redemption arrives. Only He knows that time and moment. When God enters, He never leaves. Any man, woman, or child who desires God will have this God-encounter and will enter into an eternal Rest with God. God never misses a heart who desires Him. God is God. Regardless your belief system, your errors learned through religion, or your lack thereof, God finds a heart who desires Him. Hungry hearts are why He comes to us.

Religions and their religious observances neither improve our chances nor lesson our chances to know God. Religions create wars. Religions create churches on every corner “battling” for the same followers who will pay its expenses. God creates hearts that are filled with His desires and who reach out to those who hate them. Religion separates; God’s eternal work of supernatural grace reestablishes relationship. This supernatural relationship opens the door for men and women to fellowship without division. God’s ways are best. He is God. What a relief!

Glenn Beck ‘s Rally Exposes Religion’s Error…

Glenn Beck’s Restoring Honor rally in Washington DC accomplished more than making a bold, public statement about our country’s need to turn to God. He firmly showed the world that religions...otherwise known as systematic belief systems...can come together to seek God’s help.

Standing on that stage were men and women who represented virtually every belief system in the world. The news media missed the TRUE story:  these people who have literally killed one another throughout history were united through this call to God by God. There has never been a moment like this is history! If you want to talk about seismic occurrences, this was it!

God is showing the world that He is not looking at people’s religious labels. God is simply looking at the heart—the desires of each person’s heart. He raised-up Glenn Beck, a former alcoholic and a practicing Mormon, to jar the world’s religionists with a message that calls all men and women to God.

I can imagine some religious movements are calling Glenn Beck the Anti-Christ because of his huge following and because of their clashing belief systems. This isn’t the first time such error has been made. As I recall, the Apostle Paul said virtually the same thing about Jesus and His followers…perhaps using different words…but ending up in a total blackballing of the disciples and believers in his day. His zeal was so vicious, he ended up committing torture and murder in the name of God. However, God saw this man’s heart; Paul wanted to please God. He was in error; but God saw the desires of his heart and turned him around. Did God do this for all the religious leaders of Paul’s day; emphatically NO! God did, however, change every heart who desired Him. He is doing the same today.

Am I a “follower” of Glenn Beck? No…and he wouldn’t want me to be. His focus isn’t on himself; his focus is on God and our country’s need to return to Him. Do I endorse Glenn Beck? Whatever my opinion is concerning this man and his political/religious views doesn’t really matter. Here’s the deal; we all…those who were at least curious anyway (over 120,000 online)…watched representatives from many of the world’s religious movements join hands and pray for our country. Their words may not match in their petitions to the Almighty, but they were there. Their attendance stated that they all recognized our need to turn to God.

Our nation’s economic woes have “come to roost” because we are choosing political power over God’s Wisdom for our nation. Regardless of one’s political party affiliation, color, creed, nationality, or gender, this nation is in trouble spiritually. God is showing us economically where we are spiritually as a nation.

 Mr. Beck, by holding this rally…and I believe he did this in obedience to God’s direction…exposed religion’s under belly. God used this man to show that religion isn’t what is important. Seeking God with all of one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength is God’s focus…not religious movements. Man-made religious sects divide; God unites.

So, what am I saying? Those whose hearts desire God may be found in every religious belief system on the earth. God is the One Who solely knows the heart of an individual. I know that I personally would NEVER have selected Paul to become one of the greatest of the Apostles…as I have repeatedly stated. However, God…the Almighty God…overrules our religious errors and beliefs to include ALL those whose hearts truly desire Him in His eternal Life. He returns to each true seeker’s heart at His perfectly timed, supernatural moment…pre-ordained before time began…before the foundations of the world, to enter and totally transform that heart. God enters that individual; s/he is never the same. Religious scales drop from his/her eyes as each one now focuses on God...not beliefs, traditions, or politics.

Bottom line:  regardless of our economic future, our only true need is to know God. We can live without “things”; but we can’t live eternally without God’s presence in our heart. God’s choosing Glenn Beck at this time is history with this eternal message is God’s business. Don’t worry about following Glenn Beck or not; set your face to seek God. God can easily take care of the details. We are His creation. God can choose whomever He wants to deliver His message of love and forgiveness to the nations. Amen.

Universalism is NOT my Gig!

I have received comments on this blog that state that my beliefs match those of the Universalist persuasion. I wish to clearly show that such comments are totally in error. I am not a Universalist in any way, shape, or form.

I will start by stating my beliefs: I believe that what one believes does not save him or her; I believe that no man can come to God without God making the first move; I believe that when God does call a man or woman whose heart wants Him, that individual will hear God’s supernatural call and will accept the entrance of God into his/her heart; I believe that this salvation entrance is the Second Coming of Christ for that person or persons; I believe that God’s supernatural entrance through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross opening a Way for us to that monumental entrance completely, irrevocably, and totally changes the fallen nature of the individual to God’s nature and His subsequent attributes; I believe that God is omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent; I believe in the Trinity with the three—God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit—equal in their deity but different in their functions; I believe that when God enters a willing, desiring heart…that heart is totally supernaturally transformed with no looking back; I believe God’s presence is permanent, and that those who want God will be found of Him in His time and for His purpose; I believe that nothing can separate a man or a woman in whom God dwells from God…God holds that individual in the palm of His hand…S/he is eternally safe from separation; I believe that heaven is the presence of God or total Light; I believe that Hell is the absence of God or total darkness; I believe that some want God and others do not want God; I believe that God is a perfect Gentlemen Who does not force anyone to come to His Light when s/he prefers his/her darkness; I believe salvation is God’s coming to a heart that wants Him; I believe those who do not want God would rather be in darkness eternally that in the Light eternally; therefore, I believe that because God is Love, He made Hell; I believe that the desires of one’s heart determines one’s eternal destiny…in the Light or in darkness; I believe God judges only the desire of the heart—does a person want God or not?

I am certain that I have missed some crucial points when I have listed the above beliefs. However, these sum up the main tenets of my belief system. Now…to go back to my first statement that our beliefs or doctrines don’t save us…what you believe about God has nothing to do with God’s coming to you with His salvation. You may be a Hindu, a Taoist, a Catholic, a Nazarene, a Baptist, a Pentecostal, a Jew, an Islamist, Dutch Reformed, Assembly of God, Independent, Mormon, Jehovah Witness…all huddled around your particular church doctrines or belief systems. You may claim that you believe in the Bible, the Koran, the Book of Mormon…or whatever. None of these beliefs systems…including mine…saves us from God’s wrath. Only a heart filled with God and His Light allows us eternal rest with God. The possibility to come to the Light is available to all mankind…regardless of his/her belief system. The desire of the heart is the only factor God judges…either way.

Jesus Christ came to this earth as a man long after many of these belief systems were in place. Still, He came to seek and to save the lost…who ALL still walked in darkness…because He is the Light. If religion could bridge the gap made by Sin between God and mankind, then God didn’t need to do anything more to reach out to mankind.

Many get confused about God's sending Jesus Christ to intercede for mankind because they misunderstand the story of Adam. Most look at Adam’s taking the forbidden fruit as a sin…an action that condemned all mankind rather than looking at what was rejected and why. Adam had two choices:  the Tree of Life, which represented God-rule; and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which represented self-rule…thus leaving out God completely. Adam did not want God. He chose self-rule. He wanted to be his own god; and thus he rejected God’s voice…He simply was not one of God’s sheep to begin with. Did God know this when He created Adam? Of course, He did; He is omniscient. Did God purposely create Adam with an unwilling heart? No. God knew what Adam would choose because of His omniscience; He gave Adam and all mankind free choice.

Did Jesus die for Adam? Yes, but Adam rejected Christ’s redemption…right at the beginning of time. God didn’t condemn Adam; Adam chose darkness rather than Light. He didn’t want God to rule His life. Sin is not an act; it is total, heart rejection of God. Acts that follow are indicative of the eternal nature embraced by an individual. When God enters a heart, the new man or woman is divinely given a completely new nature…God’s nature. When God withdraws from an unwilling heart, the fallen nature is in total control. No matter how many good things a person who has purposely chosen darkness does can change that heart. The truth be told, such a man or woman loves his/her darkness and evil deeds more than the eternal Light and righteousness of God. Therefore, s/he is content in that nature. This is why education, enlightenment, or good Biblical teaching cannot change a heart. Only God can supernaturally do this to a heart who wants Him. Those whose hearts desire God cannot miss His grace or offer of forgiveness. When God arrives, He literally recreates these hearts into new hearts and new creations…like Adam before he chose to leave the Light—eternal Life. Eternal death or darkness no longer plagues a re-created man or woman. Light always trumps darkness; therefore, those who walk in the Light…whose hearts desire God…are no longer fearful of darkness. This is God’s rest because God has made us new and, therefore, at peace with Him.

So, what is the purpose of the church? Simply stated: we have had it all wrong. Churches on every street corner with its members huddling around their doctrines…right or wrong…never change hearts. Only our sovereign God handles that department. He doesn’t need “correct doctrines” to “lead us to God.” We are in darkness and need Him—Light. He is the Light and is the only Way through His Son’s intervention to that Light; therefore, it goes without saying, He must come to us; we cannot go to Him. Christ's taking our deserved death made God's coming to us possible. When He comes…in His own perfect time…His Light destroys our darkness forever. Because of His imparted supernatural faith and His total grace, we are given His Light; we walk with Him eternally--without fear of “losing” our salvation. God’s Light shuts out ALL darkness…eternally. This is why God states that His Life and the Light that He imparts is eternal Life and Light.

When God “Co-operates”…He cares

However, when He doesn’t “co-operate”…He doesn’t care. Our pictures of God…our religious filters…often make God look like man’s supernatural Puppet. We make all kinds of unwise decisions…poor eating habits, stress riddled life styles, dangerous sports, reckless driving, drinking in excess, spending beyond our means…and then, because we have paid our tithes, “prayed enough,” and attended church every week, we expect God to “fix” all our problems. When He doesn’t, we become bitter and angry declaring that God doesn’t really care. “He says He loves us, but where is He when I need Him?”

Don’t we “need” Him all the time? How do we need Him? God didn’t come to pay our carelessly created bills, to heal our diseases, or to fix the consequences we have simply and often stupidly created on our own. “But…but…but I thought God said He would supply all our needs…and that He would give us the desires of our hearts.” God did say that very thing! However, He wasn’t referring to our physical needs in either quote.

Religionists conveniently forget that God’s words are spirit…and that His Kingdom is not of this world…this planet called earth. God’s focus is not to rescue us physically; He came to seek and to save those who are captive to sin. Sin is not acts of disobedience. Sin is a condition of the heart…the nature of that heart. Sin is the opposite of Righteousness. Sin is darkness. Sin is separation from God. God’s healing our broken hearts was not coming to make us happy. He came to restore hearts who want him but are “broken off” from fellowship because of the condition of their hearts; they are simply captives of the sin nature and darkness. God…through His Son, Jesus Christ…destroyed sin’s darkness for those who desire God. Those who don’t want God are not affected by this generous, gracious Gift from the eternal God. They are free to do their “own thing.”

No religion can change hearts. God’s entrance into a willing heart eternally changes that man or woman. A personal entrance by God Himself rescues men and women from total darkness and ushers these willing hearts into His total Light. Since the darkness of the sin nature can NEVER overcome the Light of God’s presence, men and women who are filled with God...and who are, therefore, filled with the eternal God are secure eternally. God-filled hearts never fear separation from God. Their lives radiate God’s Light in every situation. If God’s nature is not a total part of a man or woman’s life, God is not yet present.

God is not weak and vacillating…hoping that men and women “are able to make it to heaven.” He takes these men and women into His hand…seeing their lives from beginning to end…and seals them with His Holy Spirit; He knows their heart. God’s supernatural Seal is permanent. Errors and poor judgment do not separate us from God’s grace. However, continuous sinning is simply not a part of the overall conduct of a redeemed man or woman.

God is not present for our convenience. His focus is eternal. Our focus is primarily temporal. God looks at the heart; we look at circumstances. God judges hearts…only. Even men and women who appear bitter or who agree with error-filled doctrines taught in their church, synagogue, temple, or mosque because their religious filters are darkened by their God-perception are not hindered from God’s grace. God doesn’t count us “worthy” of His salvation for any other reason than the desire of our heart…period! The “desires of the heart” are condensed into two eternal choices: God-ward or anti-God. God honors either choice.

For those readers who have been blinded by their own desires and wants, seek God’s grace. Work hard to correct your poor choices. God’s grace is not thwarted by our errors/false teachings; He looks only at your heart. If you want God…you can’t miss Him. If you don’t want God…He leaves you alone…unlike religions.

Bitterness only eats you alive, causes illness, and creates a palpable, negative atmosphere, which people avoid. God’s love is defined by His spiritual rebirth to rescue us from sin. He accomplished that perfectly. We are the beneficiaries of His total grace…whether we desire Him or not.

Faith Begins and Ends in God

Faith is supernaturally created by God and given to men and women when God sees fit. This is why faith, the size of a grain of mustard seed, can move mountains—of unbelief, sin, fear…whatever God sends it to accomplish. We cannot generate “faith” simply by “believing.” Faith must come first…from God. Belief follows God’s gift or fruit of faith… stemming from a supernatural intervention.

This is why God is called the Alpha and Omega—the beginning and the end. Hebrews 11:6 says it best: “It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.” If God doesn’t start something by imparting faith to the seeker to know that He exists and will respond to an honest heart…then a person can be a religious as s/he wants with no results. God is not looking for religious acts, gifts, or actions that are not preceded by His supernatural impartation; He is looking for the faith He has given to start the entire process. Without that initial faith, one cannot please God. In other words, if God isn’t the Alpha…the generator of the action or program proposed by the seeker—no matter how religious and wonderful it sounds—He will not be the Omega, either.

God is in total charge of His Kingdom in heaven and on earth. His Kingdom has come through salvation to the hearts of those who desire Him…to those who want Him and His desires. The work of Calvary is a work of grace that is sufficient to sign, seal, and deliver His new covenant that produces an eternal life within our mortal bodies. This supernatural transformation can NEVER be negated by us. God sees us from the beginning to the end. He knows our hearts; He knows His sheep. Our names are all written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world. Those who desire God will be found of Him and will enjoy His presence forever. When God seals a heart, He doesn’t do it “hoping” this will “make a difference” in a heart. He seals each true heart by literally becoming One with that individual. God enters and simply finishes what He starts—the faith He imparts to those who desire Him. On their God-appointed Day of salvation, God “moves into the neighborhood” and never leaves. No human intervention is required by God to complete His work. God’s faith does it all.

So…you may ask…what is the “work of the church”? Why does God appoint a church? Does He “appoint” a physical church? No, He doesn’t…at least not like what we think He does. God’s church is not a building on the corner. God’s true “church” is in the hearts of those in whom He resides. These men and women are the true church—the Israel of God. In the Old Testament, physical Israel served as a picture of what the spiritual Israel of God will be spiritually in the New Testament. Physical Israel is now no different than any other physical nation. We all must come the same way…through Jesus Christ by God’s imparted faith.

God protects the hearts of all spiritual Israel from sin, spiritual death, and evil. His spiritual promises are part of our inheritance as true Christians. However, He has never promised to solve our physical problems—paying bills, succeeding in business, overcoming all illness… He can do this; however, God’s focus is on hearts who desire Him. To these He communes continuously and eternally. He imparts spiritual Wisdom, joy, peace, and all the characteristics of godliness.

If a nation chooses to follow God’s outline for success—the Ten Commandments—that nation will necessarily prosper. When these guidelines are thrown aside, anarchy and failure are the necessary result.

God is interested in men’s affairs; however, He doesn’t create dependent, lazy, half-hearted participants in life by imparting His supernatural faith to get His sheep out of financial difficulty or to avoid health issues when no care is given to prevention.

God’s faith is supernaturally imparted to further the Kingdom of God…not to build up a “ministry” or to populate a large church building. God does not need ministers or lay people to “spread the gospel.” His Holy Spirit imparts God’s faith to those who desire Him at their appointed time on this planet. Then He enters that heart and leads him/her into all Truth. God reveals to each heart He enters all the supernatural truths and insights a man or woman desires. No teacher is necessary; no big monstrosity of a church is needed to do this work. God sets His supernatural entrance in motion when He, the Alpha and the Omega, starts the work of salvation in a heart who wants Him and Him only. No human being has the power to perform anything supernatural. Only God does this work. We would be wise to learn this. Faith begins and ends in God.

Knowing God…

39-40 "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want. (John 5:39-40, The Message)

Does the act of reading and hopefully then knowing your Bible necessarily mean that you know God? The Bible, as great a book as it is, is simply a book. Yes, it is inspired. God gives us insights into His thinking, His character, His Wisdom, and His grace; however, He intent was never to substitute His Presence with His words printed on India paper between two leather covers. Religion has taken a book and substituted it for God.God’s warning to us is found in the quoted verse above as well as in Proverbs 3:5…

5-12 Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health; your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best. Your barns will burst; your wine vats will brim over. But don't, dear friend, resent God's discipline; don't sulk under his loving correction. It's the child he loves that GOD corrects; a father's delight is behind all this. (The Message)

The irony of today’s teaching is that most religious groups insist that their doctrines…their teachings…are what make the difference as to whether or not a person will make heaven. In actuality, this current trend mirrors exactly what Jesus spoke to the Pharisees in John 5…see above. Power over groups of “believers” and their pocketbooks necessitates such beliefs. This, too, is Pharisaical. When these groups insist that followers must attend their services and hear their speakers in order to “find” God, they perpetuate the same error that Jesus exposed in this passage. Just like then, the Bible…or the scriptures…supersede God. Today, as well as then, Jesus is standing “right before us,” but we “aren’t willing to receive from me (Him) the life you say you want.”

The idea that we can actually talk to God really creates havoc in belief systems that place clergy between God and the person in the pew. This error creates dependency on man-made institutions; and, quite frankly, leaves God out of the equation.

The first error to address is the belief that we can go to God. We are unable to defeat Sin…which is what separates us from God. Knowledge of Sin and its implications does not defeat Sin…even if you can quote all the verses in the Bible that promise such success. If a book, in this case…the Bible, is able to change hearts, Jesus didn’t need to come; He didn’t need to die in our place. This belief puts salvation in the power of man’s “decision.” No greater lie exists than this. Many, who have “bought” this lie, live a lie. They “believe” that they are Christians…filled with God. Yet, their lives are no different: they are not filled with God’s love, joy, peace, long-suffering, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Yet, God’s promise is certain to those who receive His salvation: we will be like Him; we will be filled with God’s Presence. He comes to take up residence in the spirit or heart of each person redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice. This doesn’t happen without God’s personal, literal, spiritual intervention.

A lost lamb, which is what we all are…sinners under God’s judgment…is LOST. The definition of “lost” is not being able to find the way back to safety. If you are lost, you must be found. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, came to seek...find...and to save the lost sheep. His sacrifice re-opened the Door to safety from Sin. We don’t go looking for the Door; if we could, we would no longer be lost. God comes to us…He finds us…by His Spirit. “Then he said, "This is God's Message...: 'You can't force these things. They only come about through my Spirit,'” (Zechariah 4:6, The Message). The church, synagogue, our prayers, tithing, Bible study cannot…are not able…to supernaturally change hearts.

Good counseling, frequently religion’s “solution” to life’s problems, can help us in life; however, it is no substitute for God's supernatural intervention and transformation. As good as many sermons, proclamations, writings, philosophies, blogs, and belief systems are, they cannot change minds…much less hearts.

God has appointed a time in our earth journey to come to hearts who desire Him. We don’t know the day or the hour; God only knows His schedule. God didn’t reveal this to His Son while He lived in our time capsule either. Jesus, just like us, was totally dependent upon His Father by the Spirit to speak the words He spoke and to perform the miracles He performed. This quote is Jesus speaking to the same Pharisees He is addressing in our opening quote:

30-33"I can't do a solitary thing on my own: I listen, then I decide. You can trust my decision because I'm not out to get my own way but only to carry out orders. If I were simply speaking on my own account, it would be an empty, self-serving witness. But an independent witness confirms me, the most reliable Witness of all. Furthermore, you all saw and heard John, and he gave expert and reliable testimony about me, didn't he? 34-38"But my purpose is not to get your vote, and not to appeal to mere human testimony. I'm speaking to you this way so that you will be saved. John was a torch, blazing and bright, and you were glad enough to dance for an hour or so in his bright light. But the witness that really confirms me far exceeds John's witness. It's the work the Father gave me to complete. These very tasks, as I go about completing them, confirm that the Father, in fact, sent me. The Father who sent me, confirmed me. And you missed it. You never heard his voice, you never saw his appearance. There is nothing left in your memory of his Message because you do not take his Messenger seriously. (John 5: 30-38, The Message)

When the Spirit of God through Jesus Christ comes to a heart, the desire of that heart is fulfilled: those who want Him, He enters…immediately and transforms them into new creations; those who do not want Him, He turns and leaves…with respect to his/her heart’s desire.

The Good News is this: God comes to all who desire Him…regardless of what a man or woman “believes.” No person will be “left behind” if his/her heart desires God. This is God’s business; not the church’s. The true church is not an ecclesiastical, man-made organization made up of super leaders; the true church is made up of man and women whose hearts desire God. This salvation-gathering is God’s business…not man’s.

We know God because He reveals Himself to us from within…not through education or "learning about" God. Salvation…true salvation…opens us once again to God’s Wisdom, Knowledge, Love, and all the attributes of Almighty God.

No human institution has all truth…knowledge. Jesus Christ is Truth; His coming brings Truth…not knowledge…to a heart who desires Him. If knowledge is the vehicle to know God, then Adam should not have been judged for choosing the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil over the Tree of Life, which is Jesus Christ.