I Would Never Do That

How many times have you either heard that said, in fact even said it your self?
If all God the Father did in perfectly opening a door for us was to escape hell only to be beamed up into Beulah Land (heaven) and not provide a way of over coming our fixed opiated addiction to me-myself and I, then it’s NOT enough!

We think that simply because we have been re-birthed that all is well in Dodge City, in our heart-ha, try again.
I want to share a quintessential story many are more than familiar with but its applications have in most cases gone unheeded in my opinion, but don’t read or hear me shoulding on anyone, ok? I won’t should on you, and please do not should on me.

Before I share my illustrated story here, this actually leads into it. Jesus is about to be arrested, tried, convicted, and crucified shortly, but before this goes down He says, “All of you shall be offended because of me this night” (ALL)!
In another place and time Jesus said to his first cousin John the Baptist, “Blessed are you if you are not offended in me.” So what’s the deal, are we to be or not to be offended?

“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." But he said to Him, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" And He said, "I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me."

There is so much crap that hits the fan in our lives as the result of our being out of sync from the center of the universe with our living Son, at a heart level, that we are just not (most of the time) even aware of.
It takes what it takes to bring each of us into whatever outer dungeon to address our inner dungeon, why, to work into us those much needed inner graces.

Somehow the, “I would never do or say that,” seems to be rooted in a lot of arrogance-pride, don’t you think?
There is in many places a fixation with trying to get the very best translation of the Scriptures, but what about us simply being translated into living expressions of the Word!

Father save us from coming across as arrogant self-righteous holier-than-thou, pompous pricks; continue to lead us to you our true center, that we might BE those living expressions of your heart.

Rich

Offended, Who Me?

Jesus said, ‘I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against its forth coming.’
This church which we are is founded upon a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believes shall not make haste. (I wonder about that wording, ‘make haste’, maybe it has something to do with not jumping to hard fast conclusions re: who He is, and His ways of making Himself known to us?

The Father has established His Son as a ‘stone of stumbling and a rock of offense’, wow talk about the foolishness of God confounding the so called wise guys!
This message of Life, Hope and Freedom is hidden, a hidden wisdom and spelled out this way; ‘but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness.’

Thrown into this mix is a curve ball with the following statement from Jesus Himself, ‘Blessed is he that is NOT offended in me.’
The kicker is that I see our Father constantly setting us up according to my perception, to be just that offended!

I am beginning to see that anyone can be a witness to His acts, but becoming acquainted with His ways, well that’s a whole different thing, why you ask. Maybe because he is constantly offending our minds, in order to reveal our hearts?

I am witnessing over the past number of years, a rising phenomenon, something that has captured my attention greatly and that is the vast number of ‘Christians’ for whatever reasons (in my opinion who have been greatly offended) have become casualties of this war we are in, in the form of now professing to be either, an atheist or agnostic.

This choice piece of good news is a big part of what I see unfolding now, today right where you and I live.
I'll send a famine through the whole country. It won't be food or water that's lacking, but my Word. People will drift from one end of the country to the other, roam to the north, and wander to the east.They'll go anywhere, listen to anyone, hoping to hear God's Word—but they won't hear it.

This hidden wisdom which is the mystery of Christ in you the hope of glory is not some boy scout merit badge we Velcro onto all of what we think we know or believe, it becomes a living burning reality as a result of, (buckle your seat belt because I’m about to use some foul language here) a crisis, and it will not stop there believe me.

I remember hearing a friend share once how he saw that especially within the country he lived in which was USA how so many folks had been so raised within the religious establishments, that they thought they were saved. He saw the need by the Father to begin to witness to them and see Father bring them to the place of seeing their need to BE rebirthed.
Didn’t Jesus say, "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."

This upheaval, this unraveling that is unfolding, erupting within the church is glorious, but oh so painful right now for so many, but absolutely needed and necessary.
The proof of the Father’s love is His dealing with us as His sons, and not as bastards. This is a hard pill to swallow when everything you’ve ever believed seems to have become nothing more than a strawman.

There is more to come!!

Rich