IS IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR YOU TO LEARN ANYTHING NEW ABOUT GOD Re. HIS NATURE AND KINGDOM ? . ANYTHING THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THERE BUT IS NEW TO YOU AND YOUR CIRCLE OF FRIENDS ? . HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF YOUR HERETOFORE GOOD FRIENDS SUDDENLY TURNED ICE COLD ON YOU JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING A NEW – OLD FINDING THAT HAS HUGE RAMIFICATIONS ? . A LITTLE SHOCKED, RIGHT? . THOSE VERY PEOPLE PREACH OPEN-MINDEDNESS AND TOLERANCE, ESPECIALLY WHERE LEARNING IS CONCERNED. WHY ARE THEY SO AFRAID TO LET YOU DO HONEST, OPEN EXPLORATION ? . ARE THEY YOUR BROTHER’S KEEPER ? . ARE THEY COMMISSIONED TO DO YOUR THINKING FOR YOU ? .
IF YOU’RE DISCOURAGING PEOPLE WHO LOOK UP TO YOU FROM FINDING THEIR OWN CALLING, LISTENING TO HOLY SPIRIT FOR THEMSELVES AND DOING THEIR OWN RESEARCH, THEN YOU’D BETTER BE PREPARED TO ACCOMPANY THEM WHEREVER THEY GO IN LIFE. Just sayin’.

The God of the Bible is only found through Jesus. This has nothing to do with New Age philosophy – namely that there are many ways to reach God. New Age authors Do Not Believe That Jesus Is The Only Way. They open the door to other gods. When you find unending confusion, unbridled moments of ecstasy and despair, a constant ebb and flow, mountains and valleys, you’ve probably entered that spirit realm that is Not Of God.
Go back then
and filter everything pertaining to God
with a newly-found love
for Jesus.

“Moses represented all of Israel, and went and met with God. He took the ten commandments of the law covenant and put them in the ark of the covenant, and then …put that ark in the taberacle, in the Holy of Holies. God’s Presence dwelled in that place. In the new covenant. God made a similar covenant with Jesus. This covenant is perfect. Jesus met with God and represented all of mankind. He took your heart, wrote on it God’s new covenant law of love, and put your heart and mind into the ark of the covenant in heaven, which is God’s throne, the mercy seat. You are so joined to Jesus in the new covenant, that nothing can break that. The only way would be to remove your heart from the ark, and God is sitting on that. Your trapped!”

David Duncan

Faith does do something! . Something very big! . But maybe not what you thought….

Simon Yap explains

Your faith does not save you. It merely ushers you into a reality [of] which you were ignorant before. The truth is that your sins and flesh had been taken away on the cross.

Now we need to make a distinction between ‘having faith’ and ‘believing’. When you know something to be true, factual, undeniable, there’s no need for faith: the fact simply is.

Simon Yap continues

Your believing thus brings you to a realization that you are already reconciled to the Father.

Sadly when you don’t believe this truth, you live as if [Jesus’] work was never done for you and never finished for you.

You can have faith that your friend will call, as he has for the past 10 years: that’s faith. You can believe that 2 + 2 = 4. It just is!

Now here is Simon Yap’s conclusion and supporting scripture for the need to believe that which is patently obvious:

It’s Jesus who saved you!

1 Timothy 4:10
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.
Revelation 21:23-25

Many people perceive this as a heaven which is in the future.

There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:5

Let’s look at this shall we?

the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.”
Matthew 4:16

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
John 1:4

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said,

I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.
John 8:12

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
John 12:46

You are all children of the light and children of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:5

but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
2 Timothy 1:10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Peter 2:9

Don’t we realize Revelation 21 and 22 are actually a fulfillment of this?

The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the Lord will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.
Isaiah 60:19-20

The Lord is already my light. This is because the veil of darkness has been removed from me.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:18

It’s already happened. You are all children of that city. The New Jerusalem.
The light of all men lives inside you.

The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.
John 1:9
~ Simon Yap

When we come to realize that WE HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST – the mind of God – WOW !! . Think about it!
Think l-o-o-o-o-ng and hard about it! . WOW !!

I HATE RELIGION. THERE !! . I SAID IT !! . MAN-MADE RULES AND REGULATIONS AS TO HOW I SHOULD WORSHIP !! . PUH-LEEZE !! . I AM SO HAPPY JUST LOVING JESUS (WHO FIRST LOVED ME) !! . I NEVER KNEW I – A MERE MORTAL – WAS CAPABLE OF LOVING SOOOOO MUCH !! . THERE’S NO PENALTY, NO UNREQUITED LOVE !! . NOPE !! . ENTERING THE SABBATH REST THAT -I-S- JESUS IS AN UNFATHOMABLE JOURNEY OF LOVE AND JOY AND LIFE AND FULFILLMENT UNSPEAKABLE.

So many people think they are “defenders of the faith”, when really they are just reactionaries for their opinion.

Just sayin…

Have you ever studied outside of your own denomination? Do you look up words in Greek and Hebrew in their sentence context? Are you taking the time to study what the early church believed? Do you react by throwing scriptures at someone when they present you with a verse you don’t understand, thinking that is somehow going to influence them? Are you humble and teachable so that your denomination or favorite TV preacher isn’t replacing the Holy Spirit?

It is ok to be wrong. I have been often. But the need to be right should be replaced by the confidence that you are righteous. The fear of losing friends, church relationships, money or speaking engagements should be replaced with the confidence that God loves you. After all… theology IS the study of God not a business or system of religious ideas.
~ Chuck Crisco