2011

A new year. A new time for beginnings. I hope to write more here.

It can’t be tel't, it can only be felt

Someone  made this statement--

"It is a mystery as to why the plainness of "Jesus is God" is not present in scripture;"

I replied--
The mystery you speak of can only be known through revelation.

Matthew 11:25-27 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

All truth is made known to us as a gift from God called revelation. That is why Jesus often proclaimed "he who has ears to hear, let him hear". It also stands to reason that there will be some who don't have ears to hear--at least not yet. That's why the invitation is often given by our Lord--to see who has revelation going on.

One of the reasons Jesus told the people not to say anything about Him at various times seems so that He could have folks around Him who were hearing God* (or as I might say, are fixin' to be exposed to the unlimited favor and irresistible grace of God revealed through Jesus) and not just those seeing the signs like getting fed and healed and delivered--as important as those signs are to identify Him as the One. You can always raise a crowd of followers when you meet their physical needs—the idea of Jesus wanting to know who were being spoken to helped him to minister to those who are hearing.

If that makes any sense

1 Corinthians 12:3 ‘Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.’--my words here "by revelation."

Peace

Freedom In Christ

I wrote this in reply to the statement—“For all the ministry that goes on in the Church, we seem dogged by a lack of FREEDOM in Christ”

I have seen some whom I have led to faith in Christ experience freedom but certainly not very many.

There is a pattern of sorts (certainly not a formula) where true freedom is found.
Freedom is conditional. Jesus’ quote about freedom is often not complete. It is conditional, it contains an if-- John 8:31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

The freedom Jesus describes is found only in abiding in Him. Being completely sold out, living in, and participating in Him.

The first disciples of Jesus left their nets behind—they did not drag them along with themselves, they even left their relatives behind. The disciples of the Baptist had to leave John behind and to follow after Jesus. Matthew got up and left all behind and followed Jesus. I believe most do not find the freedom they desire is because they have not left all. We have been sold a bill of goods which says ‘you can follow Christ and serve yourself’ when we are told by our Lord that friendship with the world is enmity with God—we cannot serve God and mammon, etc. We are told that Christ wants to be a part of our lives when in fact He wants all of our life—100% of it, not just the convenient spots. We hang on to our material attachments and then wonder why we’re not experiencing the freedom Jesus promises and in fact provides.

John 8:33 They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can You say, ‘You will be made free’?”

There needs to be an awareness that we are indeed in bondage. Unless people know they are in bondage there will be no yearning for freedom. Unless one is free how can they themselves proclaim freedom? Too often we are talking about freedom through our cell door and hearer knows it.

I find many Christians want to have the best of both possible worlds, to live a life dictated by the flesh and asking God to bless that life.
Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
A yoke can be an ‘old friend’—broken in just right, comfortable around the neck, sitting in just the right position on our calloused necks.

“St Paul's cry of liberation from his own sordid past of persecuting and witnessing the killing of Christians” was only possible because he stopped persecuting and killing Christians and lived a new and converted life—a life which Paul required of those who would call themselves followers of Christ. The apostle writes to the devotees in Ephesus: “With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

Jesus said “I will make you fishers of me”—He will make us into something which we are not. He will provide the net, He will provide the proper environment to find fish, He will even provide the fish.

You said--“I am moved to begin to seek to understand and to live the Truth of being set free in Christ Jesus”. I am too. I know that true freedom is found only in the presence of Jesus. Living in Him 24/7. Devoting myself to Him and Him alone. Finding that best place, not in the activity of Martha but in the simplicity of Mary—sitting at the Master’s feet.

To borrow a text from the Vedas--
Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.32):"O Lord, the intelligence of those who think themselves liberated (free) but who have no devotion is impure. Even though they rise to the highest point of liberation by dint of severe penances and austerities, they are sure to fall down again into material existence, for they do not take shelter at Your lotus feet."

I hope this made some sense.
Peace, Jim

Preaching

It is the devotional life of the monastery lived out in the world. Bonhoeffer said that Luther’s actual rebellion against the world was not when he entered the monastery but when he left it and re-entered the world armed with the Gospel of ‘Costly Grace’.
That is the preaching—that is what brings conviction to those who are of the world, those in the vast ocean of ignorance. Captives in Kali-Yuga—this age, this zeit-geist. The appearance of real devotional life--bhakti--to Jesus in the midst of a world of ‘Cheap Grace’.

The apostle writes to the devotees in Ephesus:
“With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

My 5 day crash course in KRSNA Consciousness.

ISKCON, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness—brought to the West from India by a Vedic guru called A.C. Prabhupada. It’s goal was and is that the whole world will become Krishna Consciousness or aware of Him.

As some may know, my sister became a devotee, (one who is devoted to devotional service) a bhaktin a few years ago. She waits for initiation—when she will be given a spiritual name which will describe her soul—how she really is without material coverings which her guru will see and draw out from her in service to Krsna.

I am a devotee of the Lord Jesus Christ. A bhaktin as well. I have been initiated and anointed by the Lord Himself—His Spirit infuses me with truth and light. My identity is Yesu Dasa—servant of Jesus, the person I really am without my clay enclosure. I am not this body—their popular teaching, “it’s no longer I who lives but Christ who lives in me.” I gave myself the name—I was asked about it and said anyone can be Yesu Dasa, anyone can serve Jesus. The devotee sitting next to me said “I can be Yesu Dasa” and I replied of course.

When I was packing I questioned which Bible to take, my New Living Translation or my new testament in my favorite version New English Bible. I brought the New English.

Thursday I shared a feast with 8 devotees, 5 had been initiated by their guru, SdG—an early disciple of Prabhupad. I was thinking about initiation and beginnings and even reminded of my own believer’s baptism in a cowpond some many years ago.

I went back to the house thinking about initiation. I picked up the NEBible and began reading 1 John 2 and came upon these verses—
“You, no less than they, are among the initiated; this is the gift of the Holy One, and by it you all have knowledge.” 2.20 and “But as for you, the initiation which you received from him stays with you; you need no other teacher, but learn all you need to know from his initiation, which is real and no illusion."2.26,27

So I’m bona fide—a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, initiated by Christ Himself as He has done for 2,000 years.

I have also been through the chain of disciplic sucession from spiritual master to student.
1 John 1:1 "We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us."NLT

I was asked if I “believed that Jesus was God?” I said yes. I went on to say that I couldn’t find the exact place where that is made known in the Scriptures but that it can be known by revelation or ‘realization’ as they know it. God makes Himself known only by revelation through His Holy Spirit.

The Lord really blessed my time with them. I was able to casually talk about Jesus and was heard.

peace, Jim

What's going on

I've been dialoguing with some Krsna devotees. I am praying that the Lord Jesus Christ will shine through me. I am conversing with a few and becoming friendly with some older devotees--the same age as myself--the 60 somethings. I share my love of Jesus openly with them, they become friends, and I pray that Jesus will be revealed to someone through my own feeble and sometimes foolish devotion to the Lord Jesus.

peace

Interesting similarities

[Bhagavad-gita. 9.11]"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be."

John 1:10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Colossians 1:15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
16 for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
17 He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is also the head of the church,
which is his body.
He is the beginning,
supreme over all who rise from the dead.
So he is first in everything.
19 For God in all his fullness
was pleased to live in Christ,
20 and through him God reconciled
everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.