"As He Is: God's True Nature: Losing Your Religion Part 2"

Losing Your Religion— Part 2

For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing with you truths from the word of God concerning His true nature and character. Here’s a quick review of what we’ve talked about thus far:

• God is who He is regardless of what you believe about Him. But, who you believe God to be will affect your relationship with Him. To you God will be who you believe Him to be. (Matthew 16:13-19; Ephesians 3:20) “Who do you say that I am?”
  

• Your life will be a reflection of how you perceive God. Your perception/impression of God determines how you receive from Him. The primary reason your life is the way it is, is because of your perception of God; and the reason our perception is distorted is because we have not fully seen Him as He is. Therefore, if we see God truly, we will begin to reflect Him truly. (2 Peter 1:2-3; 1 John 3:2; 2 Cor. 3:18; Hebrews 11:6 –believing God is_______)
  

• Jesus is the True revelation of God and all knowledge of God must come through Him. (John 1:16-18; John 14:6; 2 Peter 1:2-3) “I am come to do the will of my Father…” “He who has seen me has seen the Father…”
  

• The reason we are not reflecting God truly is because we have been deceived about His true nature and character, what He has done for us, how He relates to us, and how He wants us to relate to Him. The reason many Christians are mean, self-centered, judgmental, condemning, unkind, etc. is because they perceive God to be the same way. They are conforming to the image of who they believe their Father is.
  

• There have been perversions (contradictions) of the gospel and the primary source of this deception has come from people who represent Christ (Matthew 24) and most deception stems from these basic concepts: Jesus did not represent God perfectly and God did not mean what He said concerning what Jesus has done. Any teaching contrary to what Jesus did in His flesh is anti-Christ, or against Christ (1 John 4:1-6).
  

• The results of this teaching and seeing God for who He truly is will also produce the “hamster-like” behavior in you when someone tries to put you back into bondage; and also will cause you to react like you have Montezuma’s Revenge after drinking bad water.
  

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds), casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. [2 Corinthians 10:3-5]

This passage is teaching us that EVERY teaching of God we hear MUST come into the obedience of what Jesus taught, represented, and accomplished in His flesh. This is vital because we have many churches that are teaching doctrines that are not consistent with what Jesus taught, demonstrated, and accomplished, yet they come from the Bible. Just because what they are teaching has come from the Bible doesn’t make it the gospel. We have many examples of this, of which I will cover in the next few weeks.

However, we have a good example from the ministry of Jesus.

Jesus was being challenged by the religious leaders after He proclaimed that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:17-18). The Lord then begins to tell them that in spite of their knowledge of God, they did not truly know Him, because if they did, they would have recognized Jesus to be God in the flesh.

But I have greater witness than that of John. For the works which the Father has given me to finish, the works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father has sent me. And the Father himself, who has sent me, has borne witness of me. You have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And you have not his word abiding in you, for whom he has sent, him you believe not. Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me, that you might have life. I receive not honor from men. But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and you receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that comes from God only? Do not think I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you, even Moses in whom you trust. For had you believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me. But if you believe not his writings, how shall you believe me words? [John 5:36-47]

Jesus said that although these religious people knew God’s word (meaning they had intellectual knowledge of it) it did not reside or abide in them because if it had, they would have known that Jesus was God. Jesus then points to the Scriptures, saying that the Old Testament scrolls testified of Him, but because Jesus did not adhere to their religious traditions and rituals (a result of their misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the OT types and shadows), they did not view Him as God, but instead, they accused Him of being of the devil.

Jesus then says, But I know you, that you have not the love of God in you. The revelation of God’s love results in everything God has given us—because if we truly understand love, we would truly understand God. And, as the Bible says, and we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2]

The Bible says, For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend will all saints what is the width, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us. [Ephesians 3:14-20]

Do you believe you know what true love is? Have you ever been hurt by love? When I ask this question, I always receive a unanimous answer of “Yes”. Below are the lyrics for the Nazareth song “Love Hurts”. This is one perception of what love is—and unfortunately, we all too often relate to love in this way:

Love hurts, love scars,

Love wounds, and marks,

Any heart, not tough,

Or strong, enough

To take a lot of pain,

Take a lot of pain

Love is like a cloud

Holds a lot of rain

Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

I’m young, I know,

But even so

I know a thing, or two

I learned, from you

I really learned a lot,

Really learned a lot

Love is like a flame

It burns you when it’s hot

Love hurts, ooh ooh love hurts

Some fools think of happiness

Blissfulness, togetherness

Some fools fool themselves I guess

They’re not foolin me

I know it isn’t true,

I know it isn’t true

Love is just a lie,

Made to make you blue

Love hurts, ooh, ooh love hurts

Ooh, ooh love hurts

I asked the question, “Who has ever been hurt by love?” and all of us raised our hands. You see, we have bought into this same perception about love—that it brings pain and hurt—not in the pain of correction or discipline from a parent, but the grief, sorrow, heartbreak, abuse, and sometimes murder at the hands of people who say they love you.

The Bible says, God is love [1 John 4:8,16] so does this mean that God has hurt you?

Saying that you have been hurt by love is a reflection of an incorrect understanding and knowledge of love, because if God is love, and you believe love hurt you, then you must also believe that God hurt you, and continues to “hurt” people. Do you see how we have believed a lie? We have many Christians proclaiming that God is the one who sent the tsunami to the South Pacific, and the hurricanes to New Orleans and the gulf coast region, that perhaps God was behind the tragedy of September 11, and many other “acts of God” as the world sees it, or that God causes sickness or withholds healing as punishment, teaching, or some other redemptive purpose (See my teachings The Offense of the Cross and Is God Glorified in Sickness and Tragedy?) As we discussed before, we have people who believe God caused tragedy in a person’s life in order to draw them closer to Him and also to give them a ministry. But these same people also say, “God loves you!” That kind of behavior does not compute to love if we would only think about it. If I were responsible for any of those things, they would put me in jail, right? And I doubt they would support my defense, “I did it out of love!”

This reminds of an incident that occurred when I was a police officer. I was called to a house where a man had doused his live-in girlfriend with kerosene and set her on fire. The man came home after a night of drinking and in a jealous rage, committed this horrific act. During the interview, I asked the man why he’d done such a thing, and he replied, “Because I love her and I didn’t want anyone else to be with her.”

Now, it’s fairly easy to see the perverted perception of love this man had, but sadly, when I talked to the woman (victim) at the hospital, she said, “I know he loves me.” Talk about perverted, but this is exactly the same response many abused women give when speaking of their abusers.

Most people have heard that God is a “jealous god” and because they do not understand what this means, they have applied the human concept of jealousy or envy for selfish reasons to our God who is love. If God is love, and love does not envy (1 Corinthians 13:4) how then can God be a “jealous god”? This “jealous god” preaching has been crammed down the throats of people for the same reason jealous people act the way they do—to CONTROL OTHERS. This needs to stop and we need to get a correct understanding of what being a “jealous god” is all about. I will deal with this toward the end of this teaching when I teach through 1 Corinthians 13.

Just to let you know how much an impact an incorrect perception of God and His love can make on the world, I’ll give you the example of Oprah Winfrey. I was viewing a video of one of her recent broadcasts where she was relating the fact that she grew up in a Baptist church and the preacher would preach about God being a “jealous god” which did not sit right with her. She drew the same conclusion as most do: “If God is love and love does not envy, then how is God a jealous god?” Most people, instead of seeking the truth, conclude that God is a hypocrite, having a “do what I say, and not as I do” way of thinking….after all because He is God. And sadly, this is what Oprah did, which turned her away from God and allowed the devil to deceive her into the New Age beliefs she now promotes. Currently, Oprah rejects the truths of the Bible which say that Jesus is the only way to God. For those of you who revere Oprah Winfrey, I strongly encourage you to stay away from her teaching. She influences millions of people through her deceived way of thinking.

Do you see now how our own misunderstanding about love can affect our perception of God? Because if God is love and our definition of love is not correct, we will not see God correctly. Our understanding of love hinges upon our understanding of God—and vice-versa.

The Bible also says that faith works by love (Galatians 5:6). If you read the passage from Ephesians 3 again, you will see that the knowledge of God’s love as revealed through Jesus will result in you being filled with all the fullness of God. Therefore, our faith will skyrocket through a revelation of God’s love, and the exceeding abundant blessing of God will be realized in your life (Ephesians 3:20) meaning that your experience of God’s blessing is proportional or according to your revelation of His love for you.

If you knew how much God loved you, fear would never have place in your life. Neither would worry, sorrow or grief. Neither would doubt, anger, and unforgiveness. Neither would sickness because all these things are works of the devil, and Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, right? (1 John 3:8)

You may not like the way I say it, but this knowledge is an intimate knowledge like intercourse is an intimate act as Adam “knew” his wife and she conceived. This is why the Pharisees knew (or had knowledge of) God through the Old Testament, but this knowledge was not intimate (they had not yet had intercourse with it—it was not abiding in them as a man “abides” in a woman in intercourse) and therefore, they did not know God as He is, which is why they did not recognize Him.

And while we can give them a bit of slack for not recognizing Jesus as God because they did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them and bearing witness of this truth in them, we must go to the words of Jesus that says, Search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life and they are they which speak of me. This clearly states that if they had the word abiding in them, their understanding of the Scriptures would have revealed Jesus to them. This cannot be an excuse—just as the world has no excuse for NOT knowing God because He has revealed Himself through creation so they would be without excuse (Romans 1:19-20).

However, the issue is that WE now have the Spirit of God dwelling in us, but how is it that we have not correctly discerned who God truly is? We conclude that while it is the Spirit that bears witness to these things, it is obvious that we play a role in conjunction with the Spirit to know God intimately, and this “knowledge” comes from information—either from the word of God or from external sources like people.

Let me ask this question: If someone came up to you and said something completely false about a person you hardly know, and then tried to say the same thing about someone you know either intimately (like a spouse) or very well (like your best friend), which lie would you be more inclined to believe—the one about the person you hardly know, or the one you know well?

Of course, you would more likely believe a lie about someone you hardly knew because of the fact that you hardly know them. On the other hand, because you know your spouse or best friend intimately, you would not believe a lie about them (hopefully). This is the way it is with God. Because we do not know Him intimately like a spouse or best friend, we are vulnerable to believing a lie about Him. And this is what has happened in what you believe about God. Even though His word says that He loves us unconditionally, and that His grace has been given to us completely independent of our performance, we still believe we have to “do something” to earn His favor. If we were fully persuaded of this truth, we would not say some of the things we say, or believe the things we believe.

Sad to say, this is what we have been taught about God—that He is not true to His word—and because we do not know Him intimately, we will believe a lie about Him.

Other Articles in this series

Perception is Reality

Losing Your Religion Part 1

Losing Your Religion Part 2

Losing Your Religion Part 3

As He Is: God's True Nature: "Losing Your Religion Part 1"

Losing Your Religion— Part 1

What are you willing to give up in order to truly know God?

Are you willing to be stripped naked of all the religious “sacred cows”, traditions, religious clichés, and commandments of men?

Jesus allowed Himself to be stripped naked publicly so you could know Him. Jesus also said that the traditions of men make the word of God of none effect (Matthew 15:6-9).

Are you willing to risk relationships with your friends, family, your marriage, your church fellowship, your position at your church, or perhaps even your life in order to know God truly? Are you willing to be ostracized, criticized, called a “heretic”, “blasphemer”, “backslidden”, “of the devil” and rejected because you are seeking to know God truly?

I believe many Christians would agree that if Jesus were in His physical body today, preaching and demonstrating the gospel in the same way, He would still be persecuted and crucified by the religious people of this day. I believe the same to be true for the apostles, especially Paul.

In fact, the Scriptures say, Yea, all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. [2 Timothy 3:12]

Jesus said, Do not think I am come to send peace on earth. I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance (discord, dissension, strife, conflict) against his father, the daughter against her mother, and daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. [Matthew 10:34-36]

The Lord is NOT saying that His purpose for coming was to create dissension among people, but the truth of the gospel tends to bring about controversy and division, and the dissension and conflict is incident to or a byproduct of the true gospel, just as Paul writes, All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.

Why is it then that we are not suffering persecution the way Jesus, Paul, and the other apostles did? Did they mean for this to be true unless you were living in a “Christian” nation like the United States? Hardly.

Or perhaps since we live in such a “civilized” part of the world, unlike countries in Africa where they still live in grass huts and walk around barefooted and dress in skins, carrying spears, the persecution we suffer is much more subtle in nature. That’s not it either. We only have to watch the evening news to learn that we do not live in a “civilized” part of the world to the extent that we could not be murdered, beaten, or thrown in jail without cause.

I believe we are not suffering the persecution the Bible speaks of is because we are simply not living godly in Christ Jesus. We are not being transformed into the image of the Son of God. We are not preaching and demonstrating the same message as Jesus and the apostles did, because if we were, persecution is the natural byproduct of this.

Now lest you think I’m chastening you, please understand that I’m not. The point I’m trying to make is that the reason we are not being transformed into the image of Jesus, and suffering persecution is because we have been lied to about God. We have not been taught His true nature and character and consequently, we are not seeing Him as He is (1 John 3:2-3).

The Pony and the Hamster

Darin Hufford, a ministry associate and friend relates two childhood memories that the Lord ended up using as great illustrations to be used in his ministry. The first was about a visit to a carnival. He and his brother had gone down to the fairgrounds to watch the carnival being set up when they came upon the pony ride. It was typical of its kind where there were about ten ponies chained to a machine that caused them to walk around in circles. Near the entrance gate was a sign that read: DO NOT PET THE PONIES!

Confused about the sign, Darin asked the man in charge why they could not pet the ponies. The man said, “Because they bite.”

Darin was stunned. All he’d ever heard about ponies was that they were nice and sweet. He said, “I mean… c’mon, they’re just ponies!” So Darin ignored the sign and the man’s warning and reached his hand to pet one of the ponies and the pony promptly snapped angrily at his hand.

The second story Darin tells is about his pet hamster Brownie. As many of you know, hamsters are escape artists, and little Brownie was no different. One day, Darin came home to discover that his hamster had escaped from its cage. After looking throughout the entire house, they were not able to locate the hamster. Two weeks of daily searching went by and still they hadn’t found Brownie. Until one night, Darin’s brother called out, “I found him! I found him!” Downstairs in the basement, hiding behind a door was his hamster. When Darin reached down to pick up his wayward pet, Brownie flashed his teeth and attempted to bite his hand. What was once a gentle hamster was now a wild animal.

Two stories and two illustrations. Brownie the hamster was once a gentle little pet, trapped in a cage without a care in the world. But once he tasted freedom, he reacted violently when someone tried to bring him back into bondage. This is how I want you to react when, after getting a revelation of the truth, people try to bring you back into the bondage of religion. I want to produce a population of Brownies who will fight to the death to keep their freedom in Christ.

In the case of the ponies, what the Lord showed Darin was that many Christians are like those ponies at the carnival. Because they, like the pony, are chained to their religion and all they do is walk around in circles, never getting anywhere, and all they see is the back side of another pony. Likewise many Christians are in bondage to their “god” or religion that has made so many promises to them, but has kept very few. They hear all the catch phrases and clichés; they’ve gone to the seminars and prayer meetings; they’ve bought the teaching series and countless devotionals with guarantees to “change your life” but it never seems to work—they never seem to get anywhere!

Conforming to the Image of their Father?

The other reason why many Christians are like the pony is because they ARE being conformed to the image of who they believe their God is. Note, I said, “who they believe their God is.” Remember what I said in “Perception is Reality”… that our lives will be directly related to the way we perceive God. Many Christians are mean, self-centered, judgmental, discouraged, depressed, fearful, sick, sinful, filled with worry and doubt because their perception of God has taught them to be that way. They are being conformed to the image of the god that has been presented to them.

The “god” that has been presented to them is a mean, judgmental, self-seeking, glory-mongering, ego maniac, who on a whim just might send another hurricane or tsunami, or smite you with sickness or tragedy to teach you a lesson or draw you closer to him, or just because you haven’t paid your tithes, he would withhold his favor, and allow tragedy to fall upon your head. And at the same time, these poor people truly believe that their god loves them. In their eyes, “God the Father” is the same as “the Godfather.” In other words, they have been terribly deceived.

Because, after all, if we had been taught the true nature of God and were currently seeing God as He is, which is Jesus Christ, we would be like Him—conformed or transformed into His image. Jesus was never mean; He was the epitome of selflessness; Jesus didn’t judge or condemn people; Jesus was never discouraged, Jesus was never depressed; Jesus was never fearful; Jesus was never sick; Jesus never sinned; Jesus didn’t worry and did not doubt. Therefore, we must come to conclusion that we are not being transformed into His image because we have been deceived about who He really is.

Take Heed that No Man Deceives You!

And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no man deceives you. For many shall come in my name saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. [Matthew 24:4-5]

This is a radical passage. Jesus is teaching us that the primary source of deception will come from those who are believed to be Christians. Now, I am NOT saying that anyone who is teaching error is of the devil, because they are deceived as well. What I’m saying is that we shouldn’t be on guard for someone in a red suit carrying a pitchfork, or someone coming in the name of Mohammed, Buddah, or any other religious figure, but rather to beware of someone carrying a Bible. Jesus is saying that the deception will come from people who come in HIS NAME; and shall deceive many. Sad to say that this is a great truth because many have been deceived.

The apostle Paul said this, But none of these things move me, neither do I count my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them who are sanctified. [Acts 20:24-32]

Paul is confirming the Lord’s warning that many shall come (from among yourselves) in the name of Jesus Christ and would speak perverse things. In other words, they would be teaching things contrary to the gospel, which is why Paul stressed that the gospel or the good news is about the grace of God. Furthermore, Paul underlines the truth that he had declared to them the whole counsel of God—not just a portion of it. It was the whole counsel of God! Sad to say that many Christian churches are NOT declaring the gospel as the grace of God, which is why so few see it as “good news”, and to a greater extent, most are not declaring all the counsel of God. Rather, they have developed their own doctrine for a specific denomination, omitting the entirety of what Jesus has done for us, and how He wants to be represented in this world.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul uses very strong language to make this same point about deception:

I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed (or condemned to hell). As we said before, so I say now again, if any man preach any other gospel to you than that you have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. [Galatians 1:6-10]

The deception comes from those who will teach things that are contrary to the gospel of Christ. For example, the gospel teaches that God loves us unconditionally, and that Jesus died and paid for the sins of the world, but we have many churches teaching that we (as Christians) must confess our sins daily and repent (change our actions) in order to be “right” with God—to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Otherwise, God will not fellowship with you and you could be punished or face the “judgment of God”.

This teaching is a perversion of the gospel! But yet it is taught and believed almost universally within the church, regardless of denomination. If Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world with His one atoning sacrifice, then why would God then require us to bear the burden of sins we have committed when Jesus has already born them? This would mean that righteousness is based on our actions, and not entirely upon what Jesus did for us. This also means that in their eyes, what Jesus suffered for us wasn’t enough.

This is what Paul is talking about—teachings that are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ—that contradict what Jesus did in His flesh to make us “right” with God. And this is just the tip of the iceberg concerning all the perversion that is in the church today. I’ll be covering many of the perverted teachings in the days to come.

The apostle John wrote it this way:

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (or test) the spirits whether they are of God because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit the does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God. And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already it is in the world. [1 John 4:1-3]

I want you to begin thinking why the Scripture reads the way it does. At the time John wrote this epistle, he was addressing a prevalent thinking among a sect called the Gnostics, who believed that Jesus came to earth in a spirit body instead of human form. However, today I doubt many would argue or testify that Jesus did not come in the flesh or ever truly live. Many people today will interpret this from what John is saying. So, does that mean that the Muslims, who hold Jesus as a prophet, and the secular atheists who believe that Jesus was a real man, and all the other religions who acknowledge Jesus, that they are of God simply because they say that Jesus was real? God forbid!

No, that’s not what John is saying. John states his initial purpose for writing this letter—and that is so that your joy may be full [1 John 1:4] and then in closing, he writes, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. [1 John 5:13] Because he does not specifically refer the doctrine of the Gnostics, we must look beyond the superficial and dig deeper.

There are two ways you can look at this and both are important. The term Jesus Christ is come in the flesh can be referring to what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:16, And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. This, and many other passages like Hebrews 1:3 and John 1, declare Jesus as God manifested in the flesh. Therefore, if anyone is teaching that Jesus is not God, then they are not of God. This is a basic teaching in the Christian church—that Jesus is God. And outside of the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, most churches that say they are Christian believe this to be true.

Therefore, I don’t believe John is speaking entirely of this. Rather, he is saying the same thing that Paul is saying—that if anyone teaches anything contrary to what Jesus accomplished in His flesh, this teaching is not of God. Again, look back to the example I gave about sin—Jesus accomplished the “sin problem” on the cross when He took in His body our sins and shed His blood so we would be cleansed. He did this only once. Therefore, the teaching that we (as Christians) must confess and repent over and over again is in direct opposition to what Jesus accomplished in His flesh, which means this teaching is anti-Christ. Since Jesus died to sin once, likewise we should die to sin once (Romans 6:7-12).

I know this is strong language to many of you, but it needs to be said this way. We have swallowed too many lies for too long. The truth needs to be declared!

The mindset of a continual focus upon sin—even to the extent of daily confessing and repenting is EXACTLY what the Jews did in bringing their sacrifices to the temple for sin. We must see this clearly as it is. It completely negates what Jesus did, meaning that His suffering didn’t really accomplish much. I will cover this in detail later on, but if you read Hebrews 10 (the whole chapter) you will see that by His one sacrifice, our consciences should have been purged of sin, meaning that we should not be remembering them anymore. God’s not remembering them (Hebrews 8:12; Hebrews 10:17) so why would He require us to? If anyone is teaching you that the Lord requires you to remember your sin and make you sin conscious, then this teaching is a perversion of the gospel; it is anti-Christ—against and contrary to what Jesus accomplished in His flesh.

Jesus also said, Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. [Matthew 7:15-16]

The “sheep’s clothing” the Lord is referring to means that they will appear to be Christians, coming in His name, as Peter wrote, they shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not. [2 Peter 2:1-3]

Unfortunately, many have followed the ways of false teachings, and because of this, Christianity is perceived in a negative light by many, which as Peter wrote, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

Jesus or Christians?

"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." —Mahatma Ghandi

If you were to ask most people about Jesus, I believe the universal perception of Him would be good. Throughout the world, Jesus of Nazareth is presented and perceived to be a religious leader who taught about loving your enemies, doing good to others as you would have them do to you, that He taught about God and that He healed sicknesses and diseases, and did other kind things for people.

Why then does the world perceive Christianity and Christians as the exact opposite of Jesus? Could it be that the world is not seeing Jesus in His followers? I believe this is true. The quote above from Mahatma Ghandi speaks volumes related to this.

While in exile in Africa, Ghandi wanted to learn more about Christianity’s claim that Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. The story goes that after reading the New Testament, Ghandi was convinced that Jesus was the Son of God. Desiring to make a public confession, Ghandi made his way to a local church where he was denied entry because of the color of his skin. Hence, the quote, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ” is a tragic reminder of what could-have-been in India. Had Ghandi not been rejected by people who claimed to be representatives of Jesus, perhaps things in that part of the world would be much different than they are today. If only they would have revealed Jesus to Ghandi.

In fact, this is God’s heavenly vision for His children… for the world to see Jesus in them. If you turn over to John 12:21, you will see that the Greeks who came to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, approached Phillip, one of Jesus’ disciples and said, Sir, we would see Jesus.

That’s all they wanted! They just wanted to see Him. It’s so simple, but because of religion, we have been moved away from this simple truth—that our mission is to reveal Jesus to the world. Not through programs, commitments, imitation and clever slogans like “What would Jesus do?” But as a byproduct of seeing Jesus as He is, we will be transformed into His image and correctly represent Him in the earth. Jesus came to truly reveal God to us—and it is our commission to truly reveal Jesus to the world, so that they too can see God correctly and actually desire a relationship with Him. Can you fathom the thought that the world should actually desire what we Christians have? Are we presenting a message that is such good news that the world is falling over themselves to get what we have? Are the people of the world ripping holes in the roofs of churches because they are so packed with people wanting to see Jesus? Why isn’t this happening?.

The apostle Paul writes about this same truth, Would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly; and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him. [2 Corinthians 11:2-4]

How did the serpent deceive Eve? By questioning the integrity of God’s word. He said, Has God said…? [Genesis 3:1] In other words the serpent was saying, “God really didn’t mean that…” and sadly we have a long list of doctrines in the church today that says the very same thing.

Paul writes that if someone were to come and preach to them another Jesus, another spirit, or another gospel, that they would probably accept it. Sad to say that this is what we’ve been fed for generations. We’ve been fed another Jesus, been given another spirit, and have accepted another gospel—all perversions of the truth.

Jesus made a similar statement to the Jews, I am come in my Father’s name, and you receive me not. If another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. [John 5:43]

On two more occasions, Paul makes this same plea…

Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. [Philippians 3:1]

The concision refers to someone who was mutilating people through circumcision. The concision were false teachers that were teaching a perverted gospel, which resulted in spiritual mutilation of the private parts. Similar to castration, a person injured by the concision was no longer able to produce offspring; and this is what spiritual concision does—it prevents a person from being fruitful in the Lord—it emasculates them.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of man, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. [Colossians 2:8-10]

A philosophy is a way of thinking or believing. Paul was warning them about people who would come and try to spoil them; or in other words: plunder, pillage, ravage, rape, or rob them through the traditions of men, the ways of the world, and most importantly NOT according to Christ.

Here’s a profound truth… every deception contains an element of truth. Otherwise, it would not be believable.

Get a Case of Montezuma’s Revenge

Most people are familiar with Montezuma’s Revenge—when someone goes to Mexico and gets sick because they drink the contaminated water. The symptoms are very clear—vomiting, upset stomach, and diarrhea. To say it simply—the poison causes the body to react violently in an effort to get rid of the poison. The body does not like poison. But what I wanted you to consider is the fact that the people of Mexico can drink the same water that makes us sick, but yet experience no effects. Why is this? It’s because they have developed a tolerance for the poison, and we being no different than they, would also develop a tolerance to the water provided we ingested enough over a period of time.

This is what I’m trying to teach here… we’ve been deceived through religious teaching for so long that we have developed a tolerance for it—just like Mexicans have developed a tolerance for their water. When in our early Christian lives, we may have questioned some of the “contradictions” presented as truth, but over time, and perhaps due to chastening of our Christian “elders” we no longer react the same way. We just go with the flow. Don’t rock the boat. We swallow it hook, line, and sinker!

This is why I want you to be like Brownie, the escaped hamster. Once we are finished with this teaching and you are free from all the religious bondage, don’t you dare allow anyone to bring you back into bondage again. Fight with all you have.

If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. [John 8:36]

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. [Galatians 5:1]

Other Articles in this series

Perception is Reality

Losing Your Religion Part 1

Losing Your Religion Part 2

Losing Your Religion Part 3

As He Is: God's True Nature: "Perception is Reality"

Perception is Reality

I want to issue a challenge to you: Are you willing to lay aside everything you know about God in order to know Him truly? (1 Peter 2:1-3) I’m not saying that everything you know about God is wrong, but the fact that you are willing to lay aside this knowledge in order to know His heart proves you are open to this teaching. Please keep this in mind, especially if some of what you’re about to read is something you’ve never heard before. Just because you’ve never heard it before doesn’t make it wrong. If you’re not getting the results you desire, then perhaps it’s because of what you believe (Proverbs 23:7). I’ll be putting all of this together and connecting some major dots in the next several weeks that I believe will help you in your relationship with the Lord.

Perception is Reality

But whom do you say that I am? [Matthew 16:15]

Here is a great truth: Your life will be a reflection of how you perceive God. Your perception/impression of God determines how you receive from Him. The primary reason your life is the way it is, is because of your perception of God; and the reason our perception is distorted is because we have not fully seen Him as He is. I want to stress the word YOU in this, because all of us have individual perceptions of God, and oftentimes, they are different than others. I can have one perception of God, but my perception of God will not affect your life until YOU make it your own. In other words, you cannot bootleg the revelation I have, which, I believe is why Jesus asked His disciples what others were saying about Him, and then He asked them, But whom do YOU say that I am?

For example, if you believe that God controls everything that happens in this world by His sovereignty, which means that God is responsible for disease, war, murder, rape, children being born addicted to drugs, etc. your impression of God will not be good.

Moreover, if you believe God’s love, blessing, power, answers to prayers are conditional in that they are dependent upon your own righteousness or holiness, then you will find yourself constantly striving to “do better” when these things are not evident in your life.

The Bible says, Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue. [2 Peter 1:2-3]

This passage tells me many things, but I’ll share only two at this point. First, the grace and peace of God (including all things that pertain to life and godliness) comes through knowledge. But what kind of knowledge? This brings me to the second point: that our knowledge of God must come from the revelation of Jesus Christ, which is why the Holy Spirit inspired Peter to include the phrase and of Jesus our Lord in this passage. You can get knowledge of God from the writings of Moses and the prophets, and other sources, but this knowledge does not produce grace and peace unless it is presented in light of what Jesus taught, said, and did.

Since perceptions and impressions come from knowledge, we must seek true knowledge of God in order to have the right impression of Him. Remember… Wrong Knowledge = Wrong Faith, which produces Wrong Results. God intends His word to produce results in your life (Isaiah 55:11) so don’t be reluctant to seek wisdom for why these results are not being experienced in your life (James 1:5-8).

Paul wrote a prayer to the Ephesians that presents the very same point: That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places… [Ephesians 1:17-20]

The Scripture is saying that we must first have a clear revelation and knowledge of God as revealed by Jesus in order to know the hope of his calling, the riches of the glory of his inheritance in us, and the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe. Knowing God in His fullness, which is Jesus, produces the results the Bible teaches. (Read also Ephesians 3:14-21)

God’s True Nature

God is who He is regardless of our perception of Him. His character and nature does not change. Therefore, the degree that you reflect the life of Christ is proportional to the extent of seeing Him as He is; and this perception will affect your relationship with Him.

And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him. [John 1:16-18]

Although we can have knowledge of God through the Old Testament law given by Moses, the true (complete) representation of God has come only by the grace of God that is in Jesus Christ.

The Greek word translated declared is exēgeomai which means:

1) to lead out, be leader, go before

2) metaph., to draw out in narrative, unfold a teaching

a) to recount, rehearse

b) to unfold, declare

1) the things relating to God

2) used in Greek writing of the interpretation of things sacred and divine, oracles, dreams, etc.

When John writes, No man has seen God at anytime, he means that before Jesus came, no one had ever truly seen God—even though Moses had spoken to God face to face (Exodus 33:11). Because Jesus is in the bosom of the Father, He represents the heart of God—thus, His true nature is revealed through Him. This is also saying that the Old Testament law was not God’s best way of revealing Himself.

Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man comes to the Father, but by me. If you had known me, you should have known my Father also; and from henceforth you know him, and have seen him. [John 14:6-7] In this statement, He was not only declaring that the only way anyone could come to (or be in relationship with) God was by Him, but also that no one could see God truly but through Him.

The Bible says that Jesus is the brightness of his (God’s) glory and the express image of his person. [Hebrews 1:3] If we think God’s glory is awesome, Jesus is the superlative (the brightness) of God’s glory. In other words, Jesus is God’s perfection, and as the Scripture says that He is the exact image of who God would be if He were a person. (See also 1 Timothy 3:16)

The Bible says that no man can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). God is so holy and pure, that if He fully reveals Himself to any man, anything that is not of God will be destroyed. God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29) and His holy fire destroys anything that is not of Him. This is what will happen when Jesus returns in all His glory as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 where our works described as wood, hay, or stubble will be burned, but whatever is of God (described as gold, silver, or precious stones) will remain. Therefore, if we see God as He is, we will cease to exist in our present fallen state. Rather, we would be instantly transformed into the image of God (2 Corinthians 3:18). While this transformation is a current truth concerning our spirit man, this will be complete in our bodies at the day of the Resurrection when we receive glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:49-57).

Seeing God As He Is

Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it does not yet appear what we shall be. But we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2]

John supports the truth of who we are in the spirit (now we are the sons of God), but it has not yet appeared what we shall fully be (in spirit, soul, and body—the complete redemption). But we know that when Jesus appears, we shall be completely transformed into His image because we shall see Him as He is. The apostle Paul supports this truth in 1 Corinthians 13:9-12: For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away… For now see through a glass darkly (or dimly); but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as also I am known.

I believe each and every person at the heart level wants to represent God the best way they can. The most common method of accomplishing this has been through behavior modification or imitation of Jesus (What Would Jesus Do?). This method most often brings us back under the law of rules and regulations, and whatever change in behavior is only temporary because it has not come as a byproduct of our relationship with God—seeing Him as He is. Therefore, before presenting how we are to reflect God truly, we must first know His true nature; and when we have revelation of this truth (when He appears) we will begin to reflect Him truly.

The Bible says, But without faith it is impossible to please him. For he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him. [Hebrews 11:6]

God’s pleasure, or in other words, His grace and peace, are released in a person through faith because the person who comes to God must believe that He is who His word (Jesus is the Word made flesh) says He is, and that His pleasure (the rewards of grace and peace) are realized to a greater extent to those who diligently seek relationship with Him.

It would be beneficial to use the redemptive names of God to complete the phrase For he who comes to God must believe that He is__________:

Jehovah-Tsidkenu or the Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6)

Jehovah-Jireh or the Lord our Provider (Genesis 22:14)

Jehovah-Roi or the Lord is my Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)

Jehovah-Shalom or the Lord is my Peace (Judges 6:24)

Jehovah-Nissi or the Lord is my Banner or Captain (Exodus 17:15)

Jehovah-Rapha or the Lord who Heals You (Exodus 15:26)

Jehovah-Shammah or the Lord is There (Ezekiel 48:35)

We can read about how seeing God as He is results in instant transformation in the account of Zacchaeus the tax collector.

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him; for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down, for today I must abide at your house.

And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood and said unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken anything from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. [Luke 19:1-10]

As you can see, when you seek to see God as He is, this results in a complete change of life, not only in salvation, but in attitude and actions. Zacchaeus went from a rich and greedy tax collector to a joyful and cheerful giver. This, my friends, can happen to you as well when you see God in His fullness, which is Jesus.

Other Articles in this series

Losing Your Religion Part 1

Losing Your Religion Part 2

Losing Your Religion Part 3

The Gift of Eternal Life

Eternal Life

A few weeks ago, I was invited to visit the church of a friend. After the service, I was speaking with the pastor and he shared his concern regarding the extreme pressure today's society is placing on the church. In his opinion (and also in the opinion of many theologians) the rise of the contemporary way of thinking that there are no absolutes, and therefore, right and wrong is determined under the prevailing circumstances (i.e. situational ethics) is the primary source of this pressure. Most damaging is the belief that there is no absolute truth, which hits at the very heart of Christianity. The pastor then recommended that I read a book on the subject and, when I was finished, we would meet and discuss our thoughts.

I did not disclose this to the pastor at the time, but the Lord had previously revealed to me the reason why His church has been under so much pressure, and consequently is of very little relevance in today's world (in comparison to the church in Acts). Unlike man, whom so often focuses on symptoms, God looks at the heart and the root cause of an issue. The issues of pressure and lack of relevance are merely byproducts of a greater internal problem, which is what the Lord desires I share with you in this message.

The Bible says, Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. [Hebrews 2:1] Simply put, the church has forgotten the meaning of the very foundation of Christianity--the promise of eternal life, and as the Lord Jesus said, You have left your first love. [Revelation 2:4]

Perhaps the most profound summation of the gospel is found in the words of Jesus in John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Unfortunately, the majority of the Christian church has presented this message as only relevant to forgiveness of sins and escape of eternal damnation in hell, with the benefit seen only in the hereafter with God in Heaven, having no or very little bearing in this present world. The "turn or burn, repent or else" gospel is the prevalent theme coming from the pulpit and also out of the mouths of God's followers.

I know this sounds radical but I declare this to you: Jesus Christ did not come for the purpose of saving us from our sins. Rather, He came to give the world eternal life as it is written, I am come that they might have life, and they might have it more abundantly. [John 10:10]

And when we see the meaning of eternal life not as a number of days, or an escaping of punishment, or even an entrance into Heaven upon physical death, but in its true and pure intent, we can begin experiencing the promise of eternal life. Yes, it is true that Jesus came to take away our sins, to deliver us from the power of darkness, to rescue us from the fiery pits of Hell. Yes, yes, yes, it is all true!

With that being said, God manifested Himself in the body of Jesus of Nazareth, so that He could give us eternal life; and it just so happened that sin was what stood in the way of us receiving this gift. Forgiveness of sins, therefore, functioned only as the door by which eternal life could be delivered.

So then, what is eternal life? Just prior to His arrest, Jesus said, Father, the hour is come; glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you. As you have given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him. And this is life eternal, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. [John 17:1-3]

Therefore, eternal life is a relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ; and this relationship or 'knowledge' of God is not one based solely in our minds and hearts, but through experience as a result of intimate fellowship in this present world--and also in the world to come.

For the most part, the philosophy of today's church has been to preach a message based on a person's need to be saved from their sins and eternal punishment in hell. Then, after coming to the Lord out of fear, they are taught to begin a life of service, which is often motivated by either thanksgiving for God's mercy, obligation because of the great price Jesus paid, or again out of fear of being rejected and punished. Rarely is this 'service' to God based in love--and even more rarely, is this service a fruit born out of relationship with God.

I see a message that remains focused on sin instead of declaring the message of reconciliation that tells the world that God has dealt with the sins of the world through Jesus (Isaiah 53:6; 1 John 2:2). We aren't hearing the gospel that Paul preached:

If any man be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new, and all things are of God who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit: That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ as though God did beseech you by us. We pray you in Christ's stead, Be reconciled to God. For he has made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. [2 Corinthians 5:17-21]

Ask yourself this question: Is your pastor preaching the message of reconciliation that tells the world: "God has dealt with sins through the cross of Jesus. Sin is not a problem with God any more. He's not counting your sins against you. You're forgiven. Come, and be reconciled to God by receiving this great gift."

Or are you hearing that God wants you to repent and turn away from all your sins before you can be forgiven? And then, once you're "saved" then you're just an "old sinner saved by grace" but yet God expects a sinner to live righteous. That's like expecting a snake to live the life of a lamb.

Which message are you hearing? Which message are you preaching to others? Does it match the gospel that Paul preached and that Jesus demonstrated by forgiving people who did not "ask" to be forgiven, or is it what you've heard from church over the years? Are you more conscious of sin or of righteousness? Have you been deceived into thinking that being sin conscious and glorifying your weakness is humility? Sin consciousness promotes fear, which hinders intimate relationship. Ask any abused wife if she has an "intimate loving" relationship with her abuser.

On the other hand, righteousness consciousness promotes this intimate relationship because righteousness is NOT something we do, but something we have been given, not of our own merit, but because of Jesus. And it is out of this relationship that we get our physical lives together and in line with God's will (Romans 12:2). This is eternal life--intimate relationship with God.

Intimate relationship with God just isn't presented as the single most important aspect in a person's life; and that all the other benefits of being in relationship with God are fruit born from this relationship as the Lord said, Abide in me; and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in me. [John 15:4] Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall added unto you. [Matthew 6:33]

Since today's church focuses on a person's need to be saved instead of the awesome love and benefits of being in relationship with their Creator, it often occurs that people, once their need to be saved is met (their sins are forgiven and their place in Heaven secure), they no longer seek the Lord. Or while attempting to serve God out of need, fear, or obligation, they are soon offended or persecuted and they fall away. This is the rocky ground of which the Lord spoke in His parable of sower (Mark 4). Because they haven't been rooted and grounded in God's word, their relationship with God has no depth.

Moreover, because they were led to believe that Jesus was only a means of escaping hell and punishment, they saw God only as having pity on them instead of His sacrifice as the way of expressing his passionate desire to have a loving relationship with mankind.

A great example of this occurred in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Out of fear, millions of people flocked to churches to repent of their sins and to get 'right' with God in case the end of the world was near, some only to fall into the hands and under the spell of deceivers who spewed threats of God's judgment on America. It was not God's love that brought them to their knees, but fear of God's punishment.

I am not negating the motivating aspects of fear in relation to repentance. I know many people who came to the Lord out of fear and are now serving God joyfully because they have received a revelation of God's grace and love. However, most of these people also admit that because of their initial fear of God, they were, for years, reluctant to have that intimate relationship because they saw God only as Judge--and not as a loving Father.

The following passage of Scripture addresses this point and also stresses that although a person may come to God initially out of fear, he must now relate to God from the standpoint of believing and knowing God's love. This 'knowledge' is an intimate knowledge as Adam knew his wife and bare Cain.

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwells in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love; and he who dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as he is so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear. Because fear has torment, he who fears is not made perfect in love. [1 John 4:15-18]

Another aspect of this issue is that it has become difficult to positively know whether a person has been truly born again. Since the prevalent message of the church has not stressed this intimate relationship, people become Christians only out of concern for their eternal destinies. Under this way of thinking, they are led to pray the "Sinners Prayer" and once their fear of eternal punishment is eased, their commitment to following the Lord is suspect. This is because their faith isn't based on a dynamic relationship with the Lord.

If we look at the successes of the 1st century church, we see that people were coming to the Lord in droves, when at a time, being a Christian was in most cases a crime punishable by death. They didn't have gospel tracts, air conditioned buildings with padded pews, satellite television, radio, or the internet, but yet with the gospel of Jesus Christ, they evangelized and converted the known world, and even joyfully submitted to being burned at the stake or fed to lions. What did they have that today's church doesn't?

They lived and preached the message of reconciliation with God that meant not only the forgiveness of sins, but more importantly, a glorious relationship with the Almighty God. This is what the world saw in a Christian--the life of God manifesting from them like rivers of living water flowing out of their bellies (John 7:38).

This relationship is what motivated the apostle Paul to preach the gospel in spite of all the hardships that came as a result of opposition to it. He considered relationship with God and the love of Christ to be the source of his life as it is written, Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ; and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death, if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. [Philippians 3:8-11]

You see, the early church was able to 'turn the world upside down' (Acts 17:6) because they had more than just a doctrine. Today's church is filled with doctrine and preaching, but it has no power because much of its leadership has a very shallow relationship with the Lord.

People are tired of doctrine--they want something real and relevant to their present struggles in this present world. Being so overwhelmed with the issues and pressures in life, they cannot consider the hell to come because their lives are hell enough in this present world. The Church of Jesus Christ has the answer to solve all the present problems in this world--not just in the hereafter. The Bible says that Christ has delivered us from this present evil world [Galatians 1:4] and we have escaped the corruption that is in the world [2 Peter 1:4].

These passages refer to dealing with the present need for the life of God to be poured into a person through the gospel and the Spirit of God. Jesus dealt with 'now issues' when He ministered healing and deliverance as much as when He ministered forgiveness and mercy. The forgiveness and mercy of God is glorious, but it doesn't end there. Relationship with God is like a box of cereal. Forgiveness of sins opens the box to what's inside and God wants us to eat of His bread instead of pouring the contents into a bowl in order to find the prize. Too many Christians are focused on what's at the bottom of the box, however glorious it may be, without enjoying the Bread of Life in Christ Jesus.

The reason people are flocking to psychics, mediums, and other forms of witchcraft is that they have an inherent desire for the supernatural presence and power of God. Since the church isn't providing for this need, they are forced to go elsewhere--to the devil to get it. As with Elimelech and Naomi, they had to flee Bethlehem (the city of bread) to Moab because of a famine (Ruth 1), the people in today's world are fleeing to witchcraft because the church cannot or will not feed them.

The Solution

I initially thought that if the body of Christ ever got a revelation of the power of God inside them, they would be able to change the world as the early church did. However, God revealed to me that the manifestation of His power is only a byproduct of relationship with Him.

Therefore, the solution remains clear in intimate relationship with God. The church cannot know the power of God without knowing Him. The power of God as Jesus and the apostles demonstrated through the gospel (the spoken and demonstrated power of God) is the instrument by which lives are changed, but the Source of this power is in God and known only as a result of knowing Him.

You cannot give something you have never received. You cannot love someone the way God wants you to unless you have received His love. You cannot effectively share eternal life--the life of God--with someone when it is not flowing from you. Again, I point to the words of the Lord, He who abides in me, and I in them, the same brings forth much fruit. For without me you can do nothing. [John 15:5]

For the sake of space, I'll offer you two steps to begin a vibrant and dynamic relationship with God. The first will open the door and the second, if kept, will take you through it.

Step One: Open Your Eyes to Eternal Life

If you have come to God and are still relating to God through fear, guilt, obligation, even because you think you love Him, you must first understand that God passionately desires relationship with you. Stop using the English words 'salvation' and 'saved' as synonyms for eternal life. The English words 'salvation' and 'saved' do not completely define the Greek and Hebrew words for salvation. We see 'salvation' only as being rescued, delivered, or saved from something harmful.

However, the Greek word for 'salvation' is soterion and this word comes from the Greek word sozo which is translated 'saved'. Although rescue and deliverance are elements of this word, the complete definition is found to mean "to be made whole" (Strong's Concordance).

With that said, to refer to eternal life only as being saved is an incomplete definition. To support this point and also to add a deeper understanding of salvation as it applies to eternal life is the Hebrew word for 'salvation' which is yeshuwah. As many of you know, Yeshuwah is the Hebrew name of our Lord Jesus. Therefore, we see that yeshuwah is not only a deliverance, but also the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible refers to Jesus as not only the Giver of eternal life, but as Eternal Life Himself as it is written, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life. For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us. [1 John 1:1-2]

When we see eternal life as not only an existence, but as the life of God in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, we can grasp a deeper revelation of the true meaning of John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son (Eternal Life) that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

And this is the record: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. [1 John 5:11-12]

And we know that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. [1 John 5:20-21]

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, eternal life is much more than simply being rescued from death, wrath, and eternal punishment, but a complete fullness of life, of which love, faith, joy, peace, health, prosperity, and all the fruit of the Spirit spring forth. This is the rest (sabbath) written about in both the Old and New Testaments--resting in God's promise to us in Christ of abundant life, not only in heaven, but also on earth.

Step Two: Get to Know God

Before beginning this section, I want to ask you a question: Do you ever begin and sustain a relationship for the sole purpose of being criticized, degraded, broken, chastised, and abused? I pray your answer is "No". As humans, God created us to seek relationships that satisfy, bless, fulfill, and build us up rather than tear us down. In fact, God created us to be a blessing to Himself--for His pleasure (Revelation 4:11).

Just as a married couple doesn't have children so they can have someone to abuse, criticize, degrade, or even to be a servant, God doesn't either. We have children because children are a byproduct of the love between a man and a woman, and also because we desire to sustain life--not destroy it. Children are a blessing to us--even when they can offer us nothing in return, other than simply being a blessing and an object of their love.

God is the same way. He created us to be a blessing to Him, and for Him to be a blessing to us. Since God is love, He needs an object upon which He can direct this love; and this is upon the crowning jewel of His creation. However, much of the body of Christ views their relationship with God as being for the purpose of destruction, criticism, and abuse--all for the sake of building our characters. Some teach that our lives here are a time of preparation for our lives in Heaven--a scrimmage for the game of eternal life. I don't find this concept in Scripture, but rather I do find that God created mankind to live on the earth and this is where we will spend eternity when Heaven is fully brought to earth.

Furthermore, many see their sole purpose in Christ is to be a servant--to serve the distant and Almighty taskmaster. And while becoming a servant is important, your service is not to be placed above relationship, which will produce the fruit of service. But instead of your service being motivated out of obligation, guilt, or fear, its motivation will spring forth supernaturally because of love. The Bible says that anything you do, unless it is motivated by agape or God's kind of love, it will profit you nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).

This is why God desires us to become as little children in order to enter into relationship with Him (Matthew 18:3). Little children are fully dependent upon their parents; therefore, they trust them completely. Faith and trust are not a problem with a little child. He doesn't have to struggle to believe that his father will not drop him when he's in his arms. Even a small child will jump into a pool of water, knowing that his mom or dad is there to catch him.

Brothers and sisters, faith in God should not be difficult, but we see that it is. Why is this? Because most of us don't know God well enough to believe Him. I'm nowhere near the point where faith is as easy as it should be, but I'm stronger in faith than before. It takes time and patience to build a trust that comes from relationship. Just as it takes time to build a friendship or romantic relationship where one can completely trust the other, the same goes in our relationship with God.

I have to think about Adam and Eve in the garden before the Fall. They had relationship with God, but they didn't have the gospel to preach to anyone; they didn't have anyone to pray for; they didn't have any demons to cast out; they didn't have any poor to feed. What did they do that amounts to what most Christians call 'relationship' with God? They simply fellowshipped with God--they talked and walked with Him.

Oh, how awesome that would be! When many Christians, myself included, seek their fulfillment in serving other people, instead of the greater fulfillment from relationship with God, they have missed the goal of eternal life.

I love preaching and teaching the gospel, and sharing testimonies of the wonderful works of God, and pardon the expression, but it turns me on! I get no greater thrill than to spend hours talking with someone, sharing God's word and seeing changed lives through the power of God. But I had to ask myself this question: Would I be so 'turned on' if I were stranded on an island alone with no one to minister to and only God to fellowship with?

After taking a deep breath, I humbly declared that I would be lost if I didn't have anyone to minister to. Not that this is sin or I was condemned by this revelation, but it showed me just how deep my relationship with God was--and I dare say 'shallow.'

I have to admit, however, there are days when I'm spending time with God either in the morning or at night when I don't want to go to work, or sleep because I'm just enjoying the fellowship with God. And even in times when I'm not in the word and just meditating and silently talking with God and allowing Him to speak to me in the still small voice, I don't want to leave.

But, these times are fewer than the others I mentioned before. Now, for those of you whom have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints, please don't take this as a criticism of ministry, but as a warning not to forsake what caused your 'addiction' in the first place, which was relationship and excitement about God.

Ask yourself the same question. Would you be like the apostle Paul and Silas (Acts 16:23-30) who after being beaten and placed in the dungeon of a Philippian prison, sang praises to God--not for deliverance, but just because you had a revelation of God's love and were just loving on Him in spite of the circumstances?

The behavior of Paul, Silas, Stephen, and every other martyr who submitted to death at the hands of wicked men--for the glory of God--was not just something they chose to do, but with joy and songs of praise to the King of kings--all because they had a deep and loving fellowship with God. And what makes this even more exciting and troubling at the same time is that most of those martyrs did not have the extra benefit of the Bible--the written word of God that we have today. And they, not knowing God nearly as much as we could potentially know Him, changed the world while we here in today's world, have a greater revelation in the written word of God than they, but yet, we're impotent and buckle under this 'great pressure' of contemporary thinking.

Rather than being ashamed for our impotence, we should be challenged to come back to our 'first love' through relationship with the Lord. But how is this accomplished?

We have the greatest written revelation of God in our hands and it is time that the church led people back to individual time spent with God in His word. Relationship with God is a personal (not private) relationship that depends on one-on-one time with the Lord so that He can minister His will and give you understanding and wisdom to get you out of trouble, and also to keep you out of trouble.

Keep up the Bible study groups and Sunday School classes and Wednesday night classes or prayer meetings, but your individual time spent alone with God is the most important time to be spent! Nothing should come ahead of this--not church services, not your family, your friends, activities, and especially not your work. All these other things will blossom as your relationship with God blossoms. This is of utmost importance!

You cannot bootleg the gospel. You cannot live off of your pastor's revelation or off the revelation of another teaching. You must make revelation of God's word your own--you must possess it and allow it to become rooted and grounded in your heart in order for it to profit you.

Yes, God's will is for you to be profitable--not only as a servant, but as a reflection of His goodness and love. It is written, Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers. [3 John 2]

I'm not telling you to forsake church attendance or listening to any Bible teaching. Rather, I'm encouraging you to take what you hear and come back to God in private time to measure it and meditate on what you hear so that it can become a revelation--alive in you--so that it can strengthen your relationship with the Lord, and also so you can share it with someone else.

Take this time--not because you have to, or even because you need to, but because you get to fellowship with the God of the universe. It is a privilege to spend time with God and you should be excited about it. Jesus said, The words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. [John 6:63]

The written word of God is life to you, but it is only discerned by the spirit. Therefore, attend to His words as if He were speaking to you directly. Remember, this is a personal relationship and you must take it personally. This life contained in the word of God will produce all the fruit of the Spirit as written in Galatians 5:22-23. You should not have to make an effort to produce this fruit, provided the seeds of the word are sown on good ground. For the earth produces fruit of itself. All you must do is plant the seeds of God's word in you and allow it to produce.

In conclusion, my final piece of advice is to move in to the kingdom of God. Don't just visit there when you need to. No marriage relationship lasts or is fulfilling when either partner is away for long periods of time. No friendship can be cultivated without spending a lot of time together. The more you 'hang out' with God, the more you will know His love--the love that passes knowledge that you might be filled with all the fullness of God. [Ephesians 3:19] And if this is true, that evil communications (or associations) corrupt good manners [1 Corinthians 15:33] then godly associations (spending time with the Lord) will promote good manners. Any parent knows this simple truth. A child's behavior is a reflection of his close friends. Spend time with the best Friend you could ever have--the Lord Jesus Christ--and you will be a reflection of Him. With grace and peace. Amen.