Ignore the Global Warming Hoax and Know Christ

I don't like to get too far off of the focus of this blog and website, which is to encourage everyone to make one thing their sole aim in life, and that is to know Jesus Christ, who is willing and able to help and empower you on that endeavor.

But one of the many hoaxes connected to a series of hoaxes continues to disrupt and distract Christians from that endeavor, so I thought I'd include an article from another writer here to deal with one of the environmental hoaxes: global warming.

Like I said, the point is to understand the reasoning behind global warming fiction, and then discard it as a distraction to knowing and learning Christ, and get back on that path, which is the purpose for our creation and existencel

Here's the article in its entirety:


It's Not Just That Global Warming Is Fake. What Matters Is Why This Fakery Is Being Promoted.

Global warming is based 100% on junk science. The most vocal promoters are not interested in the details of physical science. They are interested in two things: political control over the general public and the establishment of international socialism.

Junk Science vs. Real Science

For a detailed, footnoted, 12-page article, written by three scientists, two with Ph.D's from CalTech, click here.

This paper was sent to tens of thousands of natural scientists in the United States.
Over 31,000 scientists have put their reputations on the line and signed a politically incorrect petition opposing the 1997 Kyoto agreement or protocol. Here is a photocopy of a signed petition.

Here is a letter from a former president of the National Academy of Sciences. He asks recipients of the petition to sign it.

Back in the 1970's, the bugaboo was the coming ice age, as this Time Magazine article promoted. Not to be outdone, Newsweek got on board. The article warned: "Climatologists are pessimistic that political leaders will take any positive action to compensate for the climatic change, or even to allay its effects." Want more examples? Click here.

It, too, was based on junk science. It, too, had the same solution: government control over the economy. The goal never changes: government management over the economy. The justification has changed. If the voters won't accept control over their lives on the basis of one brand of junk science, maybe they will accept another. As they used to say in the Nixon Administration: "Let's run this up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes."

Socialism's Last Stand

The global warming movement is not about global warming. It is about the creation of an international political control arrangement by which bureaucrats who favor socialism can gain control over the international economy.

This strategy was stated boldly by economist Robert Heilbroner in 1990. Heilbroner, the multi-millionaire socialist and author of the best-selling history of economic thought, The Worldly Philosophers, wrote the manifesto for these bureaucrats. He did this in an article, "Reflections: After Communism," published by The New Yorker (Sept. 10, 1990).

In this article, he made an astounding admission. He said that Ludwig von Mises had been right in 1920 in his article, "Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth." Mises argued that without private ownership, central planners could not know what any resource is worth to consumers. With no capital market, the planners would be flying blind.

Heilbroner said that for 70 years, academic economists had either ignored this article or dismissed it without answering it. Then Heilbroner wrote these words: "Mises was right."

Heilbroner was one of these people. There is no reference to Mises in The Worldly Philosophers.

This admission was the preliminary section of Heilbroner's manifesto. He was cutting off all hope by socialists that there is a theoretically plausible response to Mises. The free market economy will always outproduce a socialist economy. Get used to it, he said.

Then, in the second section, he called on his socialist peers to get behind the ecology movement. Here, he said, is the best political means for promoting central planning, despite its inefficiency. In the name of ecology, he said, socialists can get a hearing from politicians and voters.

The article is not online. An abstract is. Here is the concluding thought of the abstract.

The direction in which things are headed is some version of capitalism, whatever its title. In Eastern Europe, the new system is referred to as Not Socialism. Socialism may not continue as an important force now that Communism is finished. But another way of looking at socialism is as the society that must emerge if humanity is to cope with the ecological burden that economic growth is placing on the environment. From this perspective, the long vista after Communism leads through capitalism into a still unexplored world that roust [must?] be safely attained and settled before it can be named.

Heilbroner did not care that a worldwide government-run economic planning system would not be called called socialism. He just wanted to see the system set up.

Heilbroner's peers got the message. That was what Kyoto was all about.

Conclusion

If you like poverty, inefficiency, and bureaucratic controls over the economy, and therefore control over your choices, the "climate change" movement is ideal.

If you want to subsidize China and India, neither of which will enforce the rules laid down by unelected international bureaucrats, this movement is for you.

If you want to pay more for less energy, there is no better way than to pass the cap and tax bill which the House has passed. It will be sent to the U.S. Senate next week.
The rest of us should oppose it.

----- end article -----

Again, the point of including this on Acts 29 Review, is to understand the forces behind the global warming, climate change hoax, and not allow it to upset and distract you from the only important thing in life - knowing and fellowshipping with Jesus Christ.

The Earth Isn't Our Mother - New Jerusalem Is

New Jerusalem

For many Christians buying into the myriad causes and schemes to save "mother earth" through environmental activism, it's past time to throw that mostly nonsense away and find you who your real mother is. It isn't earth, it's New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven.

Environmental activism is one of the biggest swindles since Darwinism, and far too many Christians are entering into it in belief they're saving mother earth, which as I said for Christians, isn't our mother.

As a matter of fact, if Christians were to do a little research and studying past the hype and tenets behind much of environmentalism, they'd find out a lot of it is not only based and sourced in paganism, but a lot of it is based on lies and innuendo, rather than facts and reality.

Global warming is one of those, as the earth has been cooling for over a decade, thousands of scientists say the computer models it's based on are faulty, and many of the areas it's being measured in are close to local areas like plants that are warmer than the real air around it.

I could go on with this, but I don't want to get off the real purpose for writing this article, and that is to remind believers in Christ that New Jerusalem is our mother and not the earth.

We are born again from above by the Spirit, and when that truly happens in someone, we are no longer part of this world, in the sense that we don't live by its premises and ways of life, which are always against the image and reality of Christ Himself.

Jesus said of His disciples near the end of His time on earth that just like He wasn't of this world, neither were they, and by extension, neither should we be.

Paul said again in one of His letters to Timothy that a good soldier of Christ doesn't get involved with the affairs of this world.

The New King James Version says, "No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier."

In Colossians 3:1-3 Paul said, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

How much plainer can it be than that? Paul says "if." If you've been raised with Christ (which you have been if you're really a believer in Christ), then you are to seek those things which are above, not things on this earth. Any questions? There shouldn't be.

This is part of what Jesus meant when the disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray, and part of Jesus' response was for the Father's kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

When we see New Jerusalem -our true mother - coming out of heaven, that's part of what that is referring to; not some silly idea of a physical entity dropping out of outer space, like some people have implied.

What is New Jerusalem? It is God in His people. That's our mother: Christ in us. (But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all Gal 4:26.)

When we read about New Jerusalem and listen to the language describing it, we can get so caught up into its grandeur, that we miss the simple and easy understanding of what's inside of it.

So what is inside New Jerusalem that makes it our mother? There's a throne, a street, a river and a tree, and an exit out where all the evil lies. Jesus said, "Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. 15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie."

We must understand that when Jesus came to earth, He was New Jerusalem come down out of heaven, it was just that He was all of it in Himself, which wasn't His purpose, as He was meant to inhabit and fill a people with and unto Himself, which results in the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, which is to be all in all.

This is why when John is taken to the city he first sees the patriarchs and the twelve apostles before entering the city. That's significant. Not because man is first, but because the new man holds that which John was about to be revealed: Christ Himself in His people; the very purpose for creation.

There are a lot of things mentioned about the outer part of the bride of the Lamb, but it's because of what's inside that makes the outer what it is.

So what does it mean to have New Jerusalem as our mother? It means the spirit of God has now come down from heaven and inhabits His people. He's brought His throne, a river, a tree, fruit, light, a lamb, God and a street of gold with Him. Those things are what make up what births us in Christ. That's what begins to work in us when we are born from above, or born again.

Another significant factor in John seeing this is there is a oneness there between Christ and the people He's indwelling. She has been "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."

What is New Jerusalem adorned with? The very nature of Christ which we partake in. When the description of the outward things of the bride are revealed, it's saying what is being seen without is the result of that which has been birthed within. This is something that has come down out of heaven from the only and one true God and planted within His people. That's what's supposed to happen when a person is born again. The very life or sperma of God is planted within him as a seed, and it grows throughout his lifetime as an open heart before God is retained.

The two now have become one, as the inner and outer are without contradiction, like the life of the Father and Jesus when He lived on the earth as the son of man living only by the life of the Father in Him.

This is what we are called to in this world, as New Jerusalem, our mother who is free, comes down out of heaven to dwell within His people. New Jerusalem is Christ in us.

We need to quit focusing on a false mother and live by our mother who is free, coming down now from heaven.

New Jerusalem

Christ In Us | A Walk of Faith

Christ In Us

When we talk of knowing and loving the Lord in a real way, we must understand that we're talking about a walk of faith; of knowing He dwells in our spirit within us, and there we meet and fellowship with Christ.

We must learn to be comfortable with living and moving within an unseen realm within us, without getting weird about it, as some people do.

To walk in invisible realms of our spirit, it must and can only be done by faith.

Why? Because Christ hasn't granted us the ability to use our natural eyes or senses to fellowship and dwell in that realm. It's an invisible realm and invisible God, but the results definitely end up being seen, as they manifest in our outer lives.

How does one practically do this then? Again, by faith.

By faith we know Jesus Christ dwells within true children of God. So when we focus on Him within our spirit, we believe that we're there with Him.

Next, whether we feel it or not, we believe our hearts or turned toward Him and fellowshipping with Him.

There's really not much more to entering into this extraordinary walk with the Lord than this. It's all by faith, motivated by His love; for faith works by love, as the scriptures teach us.

In that believe and position, we simply wait before Him in His presence together, and in peace enjoy being with Him. Again, it doesn't matter how you feel, you're there with Him, and in peace in His presence.

There is a lot of fruit which can come forth from this practice and reality, and those that will bear that fruit can only do it by faith in what Christ has said, and that He indwells the children of God.

Christ In Us

Christ The Bridegroom

Many true believers in Christ wonder what it means when we read in the scriptures about Christ being the bridegroom and the people of God His bride.

It seems to me that we have to look at it very similar to a man and woman getting married. I don't think we have to be confused about this: it's a love relationship, one where vital union between Christ and His people takes place.

Of course this must become a practical reality, not simply a doctrine or theory. It's a reality for those who believe this and respond to the inner draw of the Spirit of God deep within a believers' soul.

Christ dwells within us by the Spirit. That in and of itself is being the Bridegroom, although His dwelling entails everything pertaining to His life. It begins with the love relationship between God and His people. Everything else springs forth out of that.

What this tells us is we need to quiet ourselves before the Lord in our lives, and allow Him to relate to us as the Bridegroom deep within. It's a wooing, not simply a loud, pushy demonstration that anybody can latch on to in and of themselves. It's real, it's personal, and it's initiated by Christ Himself, for those willing to listen and hear.

As believers, we need to ask the Lord to draw us witin to Him where He dwells within our spirit, and calls us from our souls to look to Him within. That's what Christianity really is: the Spirit of Christ within us, sharing all of Himself and changing us into His image as we allow the practical work of the cross to eliminate our selfishness. That happens in our lifetime on the earth until we leave it.

This is why He said when He speaks to us, it doesn't do much good for those who are always thinking about problems, situations, concerns, loving this world, themselves, among a plethora of other things described by Jesus as that which keeps Him from being centered on in our lives.

Christ as our Bridegroom is within all who believe. The question becomes then who is willing to hear the voice of the Bridegroom within, and share in a fantastic fellowship and intimacy. Not too many are willing to travel this road, as it's a costly pearl where you sell everything to attain it.

Not too many of those naming Christ are willing to pay that price to obtain the pearl of our Groom who is Christ.

The price is the loss of our self in order that He can build Himself within us, and that building comes as He takes up residence as the groom. From that union with His people who He is will gradually be built and the Bride of Christ revealed in the created world, to be seen by all.

Jesus will have a people like this before He returns for them, and the Spirit within us is calling from deep within to share in that with Him; to share His life.

We can't do this at all, it must be Him initiating it, and us responding. Even then we must ask Him to enable and empower us to pursue His wooing, as without Him we can do nothing.

The key to participating in this intimate fellowship with the Lord is ignoring all the outward things that always grab out attention and distract, and quiet our souls and restfully allow Him to share Himself with us.

That's the starting and ending point on our journey to know this great God of ours, who created us for this very reason.

God's Eternal Purpose: Jesus Christ

The Father's focus from before time, during time, and after time, is Jesus Christ. He has been the purpose of the Father all along.

What does this mean? The Father has poured everything He is into Christ. All that the Father ever had to say has been said in Christ. All He's ever wanted to do has already been done in Christ.

So what does that have to do with the people of God? To be a believer is to have Christ within us. So everything Christ is from the Father, is now living within us.

That's what it means when we are told He is working toward being all in all. He's accomplished that with the cooperation of Jesus Christ, now He's working on extending that into His people.

We've heard that Jesus is the pattern Son, and He is all that, but it's not referring to some outward systematic pattern, but an organic pattern coming forth from who the Father is in Christ.

Let's look for a moment at what it means for God to be all in all as the end passion of the Father's eternal purpose.

We know that God is everywhere, as He fills the created universe and heaven as well. But that's a very general presence, and doesn't have much meaning to His purpose. That's just part of the fact that nothing can contain God ... or so it seems.

But, when God indwells His people, His filling isn't like the way His general presence in the created realms is. His presence there is full of purpose, and that is that everything will gravitate toward and change into the image of His son, whom He's already accomplished His filling in.

What we're talking about here is transformation; a process throughout our lifetimes on the earth where He brings us through many crosses, pressures and situations where He is able to weaken our self-life in order that His life can be worked into us in a way that changes us into His image.

He wants to more than weaken our self life, He wants to obliterate it. But because it'a a process, that takes time. For Christ to be Lord, it means we are to set aside our wishes and desires and let Him fill us with His.

We can do nothing pleasing unto God if we're not doing things from Him. To do things from Him, we must be willing to lose our self-centeredness and become Christ-centered.

We can't be concerned with whether others are doing this, we must be accountable to Christ; it's our responsibility in that.

So the eternal purpose of God is completely worked within Christ, coming from the life of the Father Himself. Now Christ, through the Holy Spirit is doing the same thing, filling us with His life in order to have us be bearers of His image. This is why we're supposed to be lights to this world, as we are to live from the one true light: Jesus Christ.

This can only happen in those who are willing to come to Christ and say there are no holds barred (We give Him permission to do what is needed to be done to accomplish His purpose). In reality, if we have the right start to our lives in Christ, this is in essence what we're saying to Him.

The problem is once He starts working in our lives, we draw back and look more toward outward things because the inner way of Christ isn't an easy one, as our terrible selfishness and self-life comes forth when He works in us, and many fall by the wayside because of what they see.

Consequently they misinterpret what it is Christ is trying to do. They think He's beating them over the head with a big stick, rather than Christ drawing them more toward the center of His light where everything is exposed.

Understand that. God isn't trying to embarrass, humiliate or mock you, He's simply taking His rightful place on the throne of your spirit and soul, and to do that He must eliminate within you that which stands in His way. It's just that at times it's not a pretty process, and you can come to the place where you want to quit. Don't! You're getting close to what He's working on in your life when those times come, so don't give up when you reach the depths of despair. He's got you right where He wants you!

Just surrender to Him over and over again and trust His love for you. You won't make it if you don't. Everything comes from the hand of God, as He allows it all, being completely in control. Just ask the simple question of what He is doing in your life, not so you can understand in the early stages, but so you can cooperate with Him and not fight against the grace of God working in you. Understanding comes later when the process is over, so you can help others that will go through similar things.

Anyhow, that's a small sketch of what it is God had in His heart from before time and creation. He is one who wants to fill all things with Himself, so who He is is seen throughout all the created realms throughout eternity. That's what we're called to. That is to be our purpose as well.

Let me give you one more illustration to help you see this.

What if 10,000 years from now we were still here in the universe, and man started colonizing the planets?

Let's say 100 people are sent as the seed of a new planet to colonize, but none of them are believers. Would the presence of God be on that planet? Would it be part of the eternal purpose of God?

No. The eternal purpose of God through His presence can only happen when a people internalize Him in an intimate fellowship that results in them being changed into His image through a lifetime of transformation.

So while the general presence of God is already everywhere in the created physical universe, the kingdom and will of God isn't, which is what it is He is working toward in a people.

If the kingdom and will of God isn't in a people, then it isn't part of wherever man is, not matter how many bodies are present in a specific place.

That kingom and will of God are only present where His image bearers are. Where they are, there He is. If they aren't, His presence as dictated by His eternal purpose doesn't exist.

Meditate on that as it applies to His people and His church. Think of it in terms of "Christ in you, the hope of glory." He's talking very specific, not general as mentioned above.

Nasa Scientists Think There are Living Microbes on Mars! It Wouldn't Surprise Me

I've thought a long time about what would happen if life of some type was found on other planets, as I have always known it had to be there. Why? God is life. It would be impossible for Him to create something based on invisible traits of Himself without there being some type of life connected to it.

So when I heard there's a possibility that just underneath the Martian soil there are living microbes, I thought it was very probable.

The idea by some scientists is the methane surrounding the planet is actually a "waste product by organisms called methanogens living in water beneath underground ice."

They also assume they're still alive or the methane would no longer be in the Martian atmosphere.

What has spurred this speculation is the lack of active volcanoes on the planet, which is a source of methane. That led them to the belief there are these living microbes, which some believe could also be in a state of suspended animation and could be revived.

While it's highly doubtful we'll find life in the form presented to us by science fiction creators, we will definitely find there is life wherever God may allow us to go.

If He gives us the time before He returns to explore some of the vast elements of space, we'll probably find the types of living organisms a human society could be built upon if we eventually inhabit other planets.

Now why is this being brought up at this time as far as NASA goes? It's about financing their institution. It's to spur the imaginations of people so they won't resist public funds being transferred to the government agency, which a growing number of people think should be handled by private companies.

It is fun to think about in spite of this, and also enjoyable to think that Jesus created life, and wherever His creation is located, life is there, for He is life.

Rebecca St James - Song of Love (to Jesus)

Not a new song, but an ever-new experience!

What if Adam and Eve Hadn't Eaten of Wrong Tree? Part 2

This post we'll go a little deeper into understanding what it was that has so moved God's heart throughout eternity.

When God created, it came from something within Him that couldn't be denied: His love. There was no way that there could ever not be a creation, because the love of God demanded He share it beyond the Godhead. That is the impetus behind the creation.

So when Adam and Eve arrived on the scene, even though they literally saw and interacted with God, they never received the most important thing they could have: the life of Christ within. Most believers don't understand that it was the motivating purpose behind everything God meant for mankind, and specifically for those who believe in Him.

What's amazing about the time of the disciples when walking with Jesus on earth, was even after all that time, and even when He was resurrected and appeared and talked to them for a period of time, they still didn't have what Christ was fully after.

What was it? The spirit of God living within them. That's why Jesus told them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit to come into them.

See, just like Adam and Eve, it wasn't enough to walk with God where you would even see Him with your physical eyes. That's never enough, and as Jesus pointed out, neither was it for those who physically saw Him on earth.

That's the importance of John, who beyond all others, saw that there was a life in Jesus that defied anything on earth (Paul saw this clearly too, but I'm referring to original disciples). It's why when you read his account of Jesus, it's goes beyond the simply earthly Jesus to the intimate union between the Father and Son, with the life of the Father living in Jesus.

John saw that life and expressed it so uniquely in the gospel he wrote.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
a

Knowing Christ: Individually and Corporately - Part 4

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom ..."

The purpose of this little series on knowing Christ individually and coporately was to help you understand the tension that can come about from seeing the value of displaying Christ as a people corporately, while also seeing that the only way Christ can be seen in this way is if individual members of the body are functioning and sharing within that context.

Many people think if you function individually that you're taking away from the coporate purpose of God: that's a misunderstanding and not true. Rather it's the very key of revealing who Christ is to one another and the world, as the input of many members gives a more full view of who He is, and others parts of the body of Christ become more fully orbed and reflecting Christ by how you function or what you verbally share.

But as the scripture above says, we must allow the Christ to dwell within us richly in order for this to work, and to present to one another the wisdom of God, which is Christ.

The problem in many attempting to do this without help is they draw from the world and the many things it offers, rather than Christ as the means to accomplish the Father's purpose. Many of you attempting to find this way of practicing Christ together are already way off the mark by focusing instead on irrelevant things like those who promote dubious environmental causes, homosexuals being born into their lifestyes, and a host of other things not related to Christ. You're unfortunately doomed to fail if that's the road you continue to travel.

All that is is a political philosophy built upon humanism you've learned in your high school and college classes. It has no place overall in the purpose of God, and is far from what God has purposed in Christ from before creation.

God is after Christ dwelling in you; both individually and corporately. Dwelling in you isn't referring to just getting you fire insurance and happily going your way, taking in every wind of doctrine along your wayward path. Christ dwelling in you is the formation of Christ within as you set your mind and will on Him who lives in you, and as the many challenges of life force you to hold to Him while He changes you through a myriad of ways into His very image. That's what the work of the cross does, weaken you so the life of Christ can be shaped within you. It's that life which is to be shared with one another, and which ultimately unveals itself as the fulness of Christ from that sharing.

That's what it means for the word of Christ to dwell richly in you. That's what is to be shared with one another and ultimately leads to the end of God's purpose that all should know Him from the least to the greatest. It's knowing Him and bearing His image that is the result of all this, and it can only be done as well as those who individually take Him up and then come together as one in Him.

Knowing Christ: Individually and Corporately - Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 6

In continuing on with our look at Jesus as the Tree of Life, I want to start off this time with the comment thousands of years ago by Soloman that there is "nothing new under the sun."

Taking that insight and applying it to Christ as the Tree of Life, I want to show some of the simplicity of this as it relates to the church.

Our walk with the Lord within, while it may be new to us, as far as experience goes, is not new at all, from the point of view of the Godhead. They have been walking this eternally.

What this means is we are partaking within of His existing experience and living it out among one another.

One easy to understand concept we can embrace and practice as the church, is to comprehend that much of we do when we practice our Christianity, or Christ-centeredness (which is what Christian means), is repeating how the Godhead has lived together before time.

So when we share with one another what it is Jesus is doing through our current circumstances or revealing to us, is more than anything else, reminding one another of what has happened throughout the existence of God.

The practical outworking, is that when we share, much of it is to remind one another of who He is, and help one another to learn more of who He has always been.

In other words, we do more reminding when we talk and share life together, than anything else. As a matter of fact, as we grow in Him, it simply becomes His life emerging out of us toward and into one another.

The reason this has become complicated isn't the only the unbibical way people meet and the whole pagan structure and practice, but many times even when people start to see the organic, they tend to share the things they've learned in schools or colleges, especially related to philosophy and related courses that are diametrically opposite of who Christ really is.

It's nothing other than the old alternative tree of the knowledge of good and evil being consumed.

So we again get the mixture that always weakens and ultimately destroys the testimony of Christ in His people.

Remember, Christ is writing His story within us, so ultimately people will be able to read us as a letter from God. That's why Paul one time said "you are my letter," referring to the church.

In the end, that's the overall purpose of Christ as the Tree of Life, to be eaten and internalized, so what is within will be shown without and read by all men.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

a

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life - 2

Adam and Eve
One important thing to consider when looking at the beginning of things, as far as creation goes, was the pinnacle of creation: man. So when we look at Adam and Eve at the beginning, we see the representatives of all of mankind.

What's important to know about them, before sin, is while they were made in the image of God, their makeup wasn't in the proper order yet. One thing had to be done before that would be accomplished.

Before we get into that, let's look at Adam and Eve first. At this point of their existence, they're unique to human history, there never will be two human beings like them again; but neither was there ever meant to be.

Adam and Eve were sinless, but incomplete. They were innocent, but not harmless. They had a future, but that future hadn't yet been decided yet. In other words, even though they were sinless, they hadn't taken action yet that would perpetuate that sinlessness and enter into intimate fellowship with God.

They had fellowship with Him, but it wasn't anywhere near to the closeness they could have; it was only an outward fellowship, even though they saw Him with their natural eyes and talked with Him.

Another thing to consider is they not only saw God, but they saw the heavenly realms themselves, as Eden was a place where Heaven and Earth met. They saw the angelic hosts, as well as everything that heaven was.

The problem for Adam and Eve was they hadn't internalized God yet, their spirits hadn't been made alive, and so at this point their soul was predominant, even though there was no sin in the world or in them. God had meant that our spirits would be the predominant feature of our makeup, with our souls submitted and listening to Christ within, while our bodies then responded to the practical outworking of that fellowship.

At this time Adam and Eve were sinless, but the proper order within man hadn't been established. Until that happened, they wouldn't be able to successfully respond to the things God had required or expected of them.

Why did God create mankind this way? Why didn't He create them with His life in them from the beginning? The answer is that the life they were to internalize wasn't created life, so creation was separate from it, and man had to willingly partake of that life and internalize it.

That life was eternal and had existed forever; with no beginning or end. It couldn't be part of creation because it was uncreated, had always been, and was eternal. That life was God Himself.

So while man was created originally in the image of God, the order of God could only happen when man participated in the inner life of God by internalizing that life. To do that, Adam and Eve had to eat of the tree of life. They never took that step. They chose another life instead.

Next post we'll get more into what it was they chose and why.

Jesus Christ: The Tree of Life Series

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
a

A Place Where Christians and Christianity Must Go!

When the church has seen the Lord and responded to Him outside of any system or in an organized manner, they never think of themselves as being named anything ... as far as many Christians today would think in terms of some type of denominational tie, or an independently named group.

Some may think of this as trivial, but in reality it's an extremely important part of seeing the Lord and who He is. God can't and shouldn't be separated from Himself by people creating names as their corporate identity, rather than simply bearing the name of the Lord; meaning there is no such thing as a name other than believers, Christians or brethren.

Those churches that have existed organically throughout the centuries weren't the ones who named themselves, rather their detractors have named them, and many times it was meant to be a derogatory statement about them. Even when the believers at Antioch were first called Christians, it wasn't meant to be a compliment, it was a cut against them for how committed they were to Christ; although those naming them such considered it an insult.

While this is no new call or understanding, it is something that Christianity has been challenged with before, and yet most continue to disobey and separate themselves through denominational or independent names.

What needs to happen, is that all Christians and Christian workers would abandon denominations and names, and start to fellowship in Christ alone. That by itself would revolutionize Christianity, and an extraordinary result would take place.

Of course most won't heed this ongoing call, as they want to remain in the status quo of their comfort zone. Don't let that stop you from seeing this though.

People that always say they're bible believing Christians continue to disobey Paul's admonition to the Corinthians concerning a party spirit, which dealt with dissension and denominating among themselves, or as it's known today: division.

Naming a body of believers as something is direct disobedience to what Paul had to say. As soon as you name yourselves something, you immediately attempt to draw up what makes you different from others, which ensures the divisive spirit and practices will continue on.

God's people need to have a work within them that destroys this idea of separation from other believers. Believers naming themselves something is just the inevitable outworking of that carnality that separates and divides believers.

Imagine a Christian world that take up no other name than Christ, and which people fellowship together solely based on Him and His life within one another.

It may not happen across the whole world, but it could happen with you. This is one more vital are we need to reclaim and live out in Christ.

That the Lord would bring us into this reality again, where only He and He alone is the purpose for our existence and fellowship together.

Where the heart of Christ Leads to

Knowing Jesus is more of a desire of the heart than anything else. Even there we can't even desire that on our own, as without Him we can do nothing.

About all we can do is ask Him to open our hearts unto Him on a continuous basis. There's really not much else to it.

Having said that, there will eventually emerge a way for you that, for whatever reason, works the best. If we don't start with the heart's desire for Him, we will simply have another legalistic, dead burden to perform in life, as we struggle and strain to know Him because we have to, or because someone else pressures us to.

While it's a good thing to encourage one another to continually keep our hearts open to Him, it still must be something He does and we respond to.

When it comes down to it, Jesus doesn't want much more than to have us open our hearts to Him continually, and allow Him to live His life in us; with our permission and cooperation. Jesus never forces Himself upon us - that's His nature. But when we give Him free rein to live fully within us, He's more than willing to comply.

Of course once we do that, there's that thing called the cross, which works in us so His image can more fully be seen and expressed in us.

One of His great desires is to have it done individually, and from there expressed through a corporate people. I have seen Him working for this throughout my whole life. He will never stop working for it either.

In only say individually above because if we don't have it to start with, the corporate is almost impossible to emerge. Of course we need both to be a healthy people of God.

What happens when we start to seek out the corporate side, is we're faced with the sad reality that it can't happen within the existing practices of the Church. The practices disallow a people emerging centered in the life of Christ, as the next thing that happens is everyone wants to share that life together. Picture that in a building with a professional clergy talking all the time.

To search for a deeper walk with Christ will always lead to wanting to share that walk with others. It's there that the challenge emerges, and you start to discover the problem you have. You either quietly go about doing things as usual, or you start to want to see things change. Many people are tired of being bystanders of an age-old system created about 17 hundred years ago at the time of Constantine, and have entered into a journey outside the existing structures of the institutional church.

That's where the path leads to all those that want to share a corporate, organic experience of Jesus Christ together.

God's Eternal Purpose - 6

   
 Eternal Purpose and Us 


There are times when one learns of God's eternal purpose, it seems very impractical and distant. The temptation to think of things in this way, nonetheless, is not consistent with who the Lord is.

As we started this series with, the Lord is all things of the Father at once. He is completely filled with all of who He is. 

Yet it is the wisdom of God to reveal these things to us progressively. If God were to simply put everything of who He was into us, as far as intellectual understanding goes, it would bear no fruit at all. All we would have would be the equivalent of a lot of data being downloaded into a computer. This would be not better than the Pharisees.

After all, the Pharisees had all the intellectual understanding that someone could handle, yet they crucified the very Lord they had thoughts about. 

God teaches through practical experience. 

Let's look back to the beginning again, in the book of Genesis. There we have a continuous unfolding of the invisible nature of God day after day. And even there it is a broad brushstroke that is revealed. 

When you get into chapter 2, it is there that the intimate details of what happened are begun to be revealed. 

For example, when God brought the animals to Adam to see what He would name them. There were a number of things that God, in that exercise concerning Adam, was beginning to gradually unfold. For instance, when He was done naming the animals, it is said that there was not found someone that was suitable for him.

One of the things that Adam learned as a result was that there was something not only that he was missing, but also that there was something that also was not there concerning God: the bride of the Lamb. God not only allowed Adam to begin exercising his dominion on the earth, but along with that naming of the animals, revealed that there was something still hidden that needed to be revealed: there was a woman hidden in Adam as well as there was is Christ. 


I am saying all of that to show forth this: while we completely receive all of Christ when we truly believe in Him, it will take a lifetime, plus all eternity to discover all that He is. And that discovery will be a continuous, endless process. 

So when you read the book of Genesis, which we will be getting into soon, you will begin to comprehend that everything that was entailed, and revealed in the last two chapters of the scriptures, was what was inside of God from before time. It was what He saw when the first words came out of His mouth and He said, "Let there be light."

Once that happened, it began an endless practical journey for those who truly want all of who God is. In these next several articles we will look more into the practical side of things, and how God's purpose relates practically to us all. 

One more thing I want to say here: we have barely touched upon all that the eternal purpose is in Christ. The point of this series is to start you hopefully on a journey of wonder and appreciation and revelation into the greatness that the purpose of the Father is in His son Jesus Christ.

It's all about a Tree

I want to talk about something here that I am not sure I've heard talked about among us outside the religious system. It is my intention that after you read it, you can never be the same again.

What I am talking about is those of you outside the religious system and one of the great dangers that exist which can destroy everything that God intended to do.

What is it? Let's take a look at the first couple of chapters in the book of Genesis.
Here of course you have the creation of all things. You have all of this stuff happening for a period of six days. During this time, you see the dividing of things: such as the waters. You have the emergence of land and eventually: trees and all green things that grow.

In other words there is this fantastic environment that now exists there; waiting. 
Now, you have the creation of man. After he is created God puts him in Eden. He puts Him in the eastern part where God Himself had planted a garden.

Adam names the animals and he finds that he is missing something and so God takes Eve out of his side.

So here we have Adam and Eve in the most fantastic environment that existed on the earth. Actually it was the blending of heaven and earth. A paradise.

God had revealed something fantastic in showing Adam that it wasn't good that he would be alone.

Still here we have him no longer alone; living in the most beautiful place in the universe.

Here is one of the most amazing insights you will ever receive about the simplicity of Christ.

Adam and Eve had everything at this moment of time, and yet they truly had nothing at all!

You see, there were two trees in that Garden that stood before the human race. Two trees that will continually be eaten of until a time in the future.

Now what is the point of all of this? For those of us outside the religious system, we can have all the trappings of paradise, and yet not have anything at all.

You can have all the closeness, unity, fellowship, friendship, and joy together that it may be possible to have on this earth, and still completely miss the whole thing. You can still completely miss the whole reason for your existence.

What am I saying? I am saying that it is all about a tree! Everything was ready to go in Eden. God had revealed His will to Adam and only gave him one restriction, which was of course to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Still, before they rebelled against God's command, there was the potential. 
What is the significance of this moment before their sin? They had everything. Or rather almost everything that could be possibly desired given to them by God.

So do those of us who see that God has always had something much deeper and profound than we are currently seeing in the religious system.

The problem we face is that we can enter into the fellowship of the saints outside the system, have everything that Adam and Eve had, and still never do the most important thing that must be done.

Even though Adam and Eve were temporarily sinless before God, and living in the most bountiful environment that has ever existed, they lacked the only thing that really mattered.

So can we who are outside the system be potentially completed misled about what is truly important to God. Really it is the only thing that is important.

Remember the story of Martha and Mary? Martha was complaining to Jesus about Mary not helping her serve. Jesus response was that Mary had chosen the only thing that really mattered and He wasn't going to take that away from her.

It is similar to when Paul writes to one of the churches and tells them that he is concerned that in the same way that Adam and Eve were deceived into rejecting the simplicity of being devoted to Christ, they also would be led astray from that same, pure, devotion.

In another place we are told that the disciples were called to be "with" Him.
Jesus also reveals that eternal life is the intimate union, or knowing of the Father and the Son.

Again Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we are the branches.

This issue caused almost everyone to leave Christ while He was on the earth.
When He told them that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood, they would no longer walk with Him.

We can be outside the religious system, seem to be doing what the will of the Father is, and still miss the whole thing.

You can look around in your present environment and believe that this is what makes things work. This is the ultimate deception.

Just like Adam and Eve, we can be dwelling in Eden, and yet not do the most important thing, and the truly only necessary thing that is needed.

You see brothers and sisters: it's all about eating from a tree! We just need to be sure it's the right tree!

Why Union with Christ is Resisted

Throughout all of Christian history the reality of entering into a deep fellowship with Jesus Christ has been resisted.
 
There are several reasons why this has been the case. I will talk about two of the major reasons here.  

The first and foremost reason is that men have always wanted to interrupt the role of Jesus Himself. How is this done? They take roles upon themselves of hearing God for others. The modern-day practice of specialized priesthoods and pastorates are the prime examples of this.  

We are taught that we must be “fed” for our entire lives or that God has appointed some type of professional hierarchy that He exclusively delivers His will through. This of course is total nonsense.  

While there can be some temporary instruction that lays a foundation in the lives of believers, this is to be done only occasionally and with great care. Most of us can’t even relate to this concept. We have been brainwashed into believing that somebody can and should hear and relate to God on our behalf.  

The reason why this has been able to continue on is because many do not want to take upon themselves the personal and corporate responsibility of fellowshipping directly with God.  

Now along with this, those who have taken these roles upon themselves are forever telling us that we can’t make it without them. I want to tell you that we can. These people simply apply more importance to themselves than God or the scriptures do. Read the story. Where do you even find such a thing as a "specialized" priesthood in the New Testament or a functioning pastor? Even though the word pastor is used once in the New Testament, the example of what that is, isn’t even shown.

We have a bunch of apostles, some prophets and teachers, and one evangelist, yet in our modern-day church practices we emphasize the pastor and evangelist and teacher, while leaving out the most needed offices in the church today.  So the first reason is that there is a misconception of what the church really is. Those who know what the church is meant to be will never allow these kinds of things to continue.  

Now the second reason that union with Christ is resisted is because people have a natural desire to build everything into a system. While this is human nature, it isn’t Christ’s nature.  As a matter of fact, as you hunger after and pursue the presence of God in your life, you will find that systemization is really a substitute for not knowing God. 

Believers know that there are things that God encourages us to do. Yet if there is not a continuous fellowship with Christ and the Father, there will always, and I do mean always, be a push to organize and institutionalize. You will not be able to help it. It will just begin to happen. Whenever there is a vacuum, something will definitely fill it.  

Just like Jesus mentions when He cast out a devil and nothing fills that void, more than were originally within someone return, and it is worse than before. This is the principle of there never really being a vacuum. We will have to relate to something in a created world.  

The strange, bizarre thing about systems is that they can exist without life at all. As a matter of fact, feeding the system becomes the purpose of those that are part of it. If the system were to collapse, those in it would believe that everything in their life was devastated. This is the power and destructive nature of systems.  
In reality, a system begins to form when fellowship and union with Christ begins to stop. If there is no life of God in the midst of God’s people then there can be no pursuit of His eternal purpose.  

What is truly amazing is that once the presence of God isn’t valued, and a system begins to take shape, then any challenge to the system is seen as wicked and evil. The life of God and presence of God becomes the systems enemy. This is a true assessment. Nothing can live in a vacuum. Either we will seek the presence and fellowship of God or it will be replaced with something else. This is always the choice that is before us. This is the choice now set before you.  

So in conclusion, ambitious people attempt to take upon themselves roles meant for only Christ. Like John the Baptist, we all must deny ourselves and decrease that Christ may increase. Let’s allow ourselves to become smaller that He may be larger in our lives.  

Then let us, with all our might, pursue the abiding, continuous, fellowship and presence of God in our lives. This is the one true weapon against the natural inclination and disaster of systematizing the church of Jesus Christ. Do these things and we will begin to see who this magnificent Christ truly is.

What is Mysticism?

One of the problems of talking about what has become called “Mysticism” is that people tend to immediately assume that it concerns something that cannot be known by the everyday believer in Christ. The word itself implies something that is hidden and almost impossible to comprehend. While I think that the word is an unfortunate one in reference to what we are going to discuss, it is the one that has been used throughout the centuries, so we will use it for our purposes and bring the mystery out of it.  

What has been called mysticism is nothing more than believers throughout history that have been dissatisfied with their walk with the Lord, and as a result begin a pursuit of Him that brings them into deeper union and closeness and intimacy with their Lord.  

While this is simplicity in itself, it also leads into the endless depths that exist in Jesus Christ.  

The great purpose of God is that He wanted to share the fellowship of the Godhead with man that He created in His image. That was the great motivating factor that resulted in creation of man. Because God is love, it was impossible to keep His greatness and love to Himself. The problem is that most Christians have no idea that we can enter into this fellowship on a consistent, non-stop basis.

This is the great goal of what has been labeled mysticism; to learn to dwell in the presence of God endlessly no matter where you are or what you are doing in life. 

It is here that everything dims before the majesty and unspeakable greatness of Christ. It is here that all things melt before His presence as we walk in fellowship with Him.  

And as we dwell in His presence, we truly learn to grow from glory to glory, changed as we simply center our beings in Him and as Jesus gave us by example: to do what the Father did and speak what the Father spoke and share in that together.  

When we truly hunger after this privilege we have been offered from God, we will realize that heaven truly has come to the earth in the presence of Christ; both individiually and corporately. 

The Great Disconnect and Christ

In the area of communion with Christ and close experiential union in our relationship with Him, there arises an important issue that must be addressed that affects all of us that know Christ. I call it the “great disconnect.”  

What do I mean by that?

For example, let’s look at the testimony of Jesus concerning the religious leaders when He was upon the earth. He exhorts the crowd that unless their righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees, they wouldn’t enter the kingdom of God. This is a disconnect. The Pharisees intellectually knew the right things to say - Jesus Himself tells the crowds to do what they say but not to do what they do – yet He rips into their hypocrisy.  

In the area of union with Christ and knowing God, we have developed this same unfortunate lifestyle. We read about it, yet we never enter into it. I don’t care how much you may know what the scriptures teach, you must then do what it says. In the case of entering into an in-depth, continuous fellowship with Christ, we are exhorted to do it but don’t enter into it. This is a disconnect.  

The great majority of us don’t even comprehend that there is this fantastic desire by God to be in continual communion with us.

In truth, He is of course always with us. Yet we don’t participate in this constant reality. Rather we are content to take an occasional moment to say a little prayer or spend a little time with Him. This is far from what He truly desires for us.  

When Jesus was on the earth, He revealed to us that He never did anything without the Father’s okay; neither did He speak anything unless the Father spoke it. This necessitated a continual union and awareness of the Father to be able to know what His will was at any given moment. This was given to us as an example of how we are to live.  

Remember the scripture that speaks to us of praying without ceasing? This involves the same concept in reference to God’s expectations of us.  This prayer is obviously speaking of moment by moment awareness of the presence of God with us. How else can we follow the example that Jesus set before us to live in? 

In another place Jesus tells us about what eternal life really is. He reveals that eternal life is knowing the Father and His son Jesus Christ. That was the entire purpose of Jesus coming to earth that we may once again enter into this fellowship with Him unhindered and through the veil that He opened up for us again into the presence of the Father.  

That’s why at His death the veil rent in two. Access to the Father through Christ was now available to all those who believed on Jesus. We have no need of intermediaries, for all of us are to know Him from the least to the greatest.  

The problem is that all of this sounds good except very few enter into this on a continuous basis. This is the greatest disconnect of all. One of Paul’s great prayers was that he might know Him. This was an experiential cry, not a desire to have some intellectual understanding of Christ. Again, even the Pharisees had that. That’s why we are even told that even the demons believe. That doesn’t do them any good.  

We must hunger to cross the threshold into this fantastic purpose and offer of God to enter into this extraordinary union with Him.  

It’s unfortunate that history has labeled this purpose and desire as “mysticism.” It attempts to make those who pursue this as weird or strange and not right in some way.  The truth is that this is the hunger of God’s heart from before time to have a people to be in union and intimacy with. To say that this is to be replaced by some type of special person hearing or relating to God on your behalf has been devastating to the church for centuries.  

This is the age of the reality that is in Christ. We no longer relate to types or symbols or any intermediary between God and man except for Jesus Christ. He is no respecter of persons and He will gladly encircle you with His presence and union if you simply ask Him.  

To not do this is the greatest disconnect of all.

Centered in Christ

One of the most important characteristics of the early church was their life being centered in Christ. You cannot read the New Testament without encountering this reality over and over again.
 
When the believers were first called “Christians” it was done as an attack upon their way of life. Of course the word Christian basically means that those who it was directed at were Christ centered. Those who first applied it to the believers at Antioch did so for the purpose of mocking them.  Their lives so lived for and from Christ that those who did not believe scoffed at their passion for Christ. This is not a problem that exists among believers too much in our day.  

There is an absolute call to return to this fervor for Christ again. When I say the word fervor, I am not referring to some emotional high that goes up and down with the events of life. No I am referring to a daily, moment by moment fellowship with Christ that depends upon Him for all things.  

Since all things have been summed up in Christ, when we are in Him, we have all things. While all who believe are in Him, I am talking about the practical, daily outworking of this reality. When we truly believe, we have all of Him, not just a bit and a piece here and there.  

When you read the account of the early church, you get a glimpse of the practical reality of being centered in Christ. You see the outworking of the spirit through Christ’s body, giving and sharing Christ with one another, building one another up in love.  Their entire lives existed for Christ and Christ alone. Oh it included the many aspects of everyday life as Paul reveals in his letters to the churches. For example he speaks of work, marriage, children, loving one another, among many things.  

The point is that none of this existed outside of the person of Jesus Christ. It was showing forth who Christ is to the world. They saw Christ as the resurrected, living Lord and then responded to one another as a result of this reality. Christ was their truth, He was their reality. There was no other truth or reality.  

This is the most needed thing that any believer throughout history will ever need. Nothing can be right if a person isn’t living a life that is absolutely centered in the person of Jesus Christ. You can do all sorts of external things and look good to man, but you will never be able to enter fully into that great eternal purpose that has existed from before creation to live a live that is totally in Christ Himself.  

When you commit yourself and ask God for this privilege, He will more than answer your hearts request and bring into all that the Father has prepared for you before the foundation of the earth.  

Sharing the Life of Christ Together

Do you ever wonder what it was that Jesus was doing with the twelve disciples that eventually he sent out as workers for Him?

When you look at a lot of what he talked about, it was nothing else than teaching them how to be together centered around Him.

First, of course, He had to help them to see who He was and believe in Him. Not a head belief, but to cast their entire being onto Him in trust.

But from there, it was always about how to be brethren together. What do you think the 12 were? Some guys Jesus simply gave a title to? Not at all. This was a new Israel Jesus was giving birth to. That's why there were 12 of them. It was full of significance that he was now introducing the true Israel, the Spiritual Israel - the Israel that would have Jesus live within them by the Spirit. That is the true Israel of God.

Within that thought is not what was most important though. He was teaching them how to live together centered around Him. That's why He would tell them things like if they wanted to be the greatest, then they must be a servant of all. That's why he served them when they last ate together before He died, as an example to how they should live amongst one another.

All the things that they had learned how to do together, is what they would eventually pass on to those they would live in community with together. It was togetherness centered in Christ that was what was learned, and what would be passed on. One of the last things Jesus said to them was that they should love one another like He had loved them; that they should lay down their lives for one another.

You can only do that be being together; by living close together. That's how the church was birthed through Christ. All of them living and laying down their lives for one another centered around nothing but loving Jesus Christ their husband as His bride.

What more could a people want then to share the life of Christ together on a daily basis? When it comes down to it, it's all that He wants!