Boyd Merriman on Christianity

Be FOR Something, Not Just Against Something

2012-01-29T07:46:00.000-05:00

Too many Churches have spent their existence being against sin, against evil, against the devil, etc. We, as a nation, have spent the first part of our 21st Century being "against poverty", "against terrorism", "against joblessness", against this, that or the other. Even politicians spend their whole careers being against the other politician.

Why not live a life of being FOR something? Lets be FOR creativity, FOR building businesses, FOR building relationships, FOR peace, FOR cooperation, FOR enjoying life to the fullest.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." ~ Jesus

Don't live your entire life being against something. Be FOR something greater than yourself.

Jesus is more about being FOR US than just being "against sin".
Let's live a life that was meant to be.

Boyd

Have a Brave and Courageous Christmas

2011-12-17T08:44:00.003-05:00

Did you know that "Merry" did not originally mean happy?

We often look to Robin Hood and his Merry Men as being a bunch of happy guys in tights dancing around in the forest. Strange thought using todays idea of men hanging out like this.

But the word Merry meant strong and courageous, often with a purpose and mission. We could say our soldiers right after 9-11 were Merry Men and Women. When they saw the Twin Towers collapse, like the soldiers and the supporting citizens during WWII, they volunteered by the hundreds of thousands.

Christians are to volunteer by the hundreds of thousands if not millions to be Merry during this time and stand up for what Christmas is really all about.

Be Merry this Christmas

Boyd
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Communion

2011-11-28T11:03:00.004-05:00

I think one of the most important part of worship service in church is the communion. Yet it is the least rehearsed part of worship. Once a year, once a month, every week?
And when we do have the communion, too often, it is a sad, or very weak service. I went to one where, though they went up to the table, the participants looked…well…introverted, plain faced, dead. Then they took their cup (small plastic) and piece of bread and went back to their seats and sat in self contemplation. At best. Facing forward to the front of the sanctuary, not towards one another.

Then I went to some where the participants were happy, joyfully going to the table, picking up the elements, then stand in a large circle and prayed, and then while smiling at each other, took the communion in a very community way. Together.

How we conduct our church services (God’s church service…sorry about that slip) makes a difference in how we are connected as one building, one church, one community, one where God wants to stay and lead the way.

When I conduct communion services to a group that is mixed (denominational), I remind them of the unity we all have in common, Jesus Christ. It is Jesus' table. Not the Baptists, not the Catholics, not the Methodists, not the Episcopalians, not the many varieties of the Church of Gods, not mine, not theirs. It is Jesus' table. Jesus invited humanity to share with one another, not to take it individually in our own little world and own little way.

Communion is the most blatant way of showing inclusion and love for a broken people.

Lets share with one another the communion and love God has shared with humanity.

Boyd
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I Love You Too

2011-09-10T08:08:00.001-04:00

I was thinking this morning about God's love for humanity. Yes, humanity, not just you and me.
Then when I say "I love you Lord", what am I expecting? For the Lord to say "I love you too"? Well, yes, but why?

As humans, we tend to look for reassurance, confirmation, a sign; a reciprocated response. We say "I love you", not just because we love someone, but in hopes that they will return that "I love you" so we can feel confirmed and accepted; loved. We expectantly wait for "I love you too".

So what are we expecting from God? Are we still looking for God's love towards us? Considering the fact that John 3:16 has already told us that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, should tell us that God loved us before Jesus existed as flesh. But is that enough? OK, it is also written that God loved us before time, before we were created, and has already had plans of sending Jesus, long before we were created, let alone sinned.

Yet here we are waiting for a response of "I love you too" as if we were talking to another person we have been relating to for years. Do we do that with our spouse? Of course they love us, why would they put up with us for so long? Yet, we are still waiting for "I love you too" as if by chance, maybe they did stop loving us? Is it possible that God stopped loving us? Will we ever get that response of "I love you too" from God?

Yes, we should say "I love you" to our spouse, our family, our friends and neighbors, and we should say "I love you" to God as well, but from the heart, from the love we truly have towards that person. But if we are expecting a response to our "I love you", then are we baiting? Are we feeling a need to be reassured, confirmed? Are we sending out signals that we are feeling alone and in need of something? Do we need that response so we can go on a few more steps?

Yet, maybe that is what God is waiting for from us. Not out of need for our love or for reassurance. God loved us and has told us that and has never stopped telling us that from the beginning of time. So maybe our response shouldn't just be "I love you Lord", but "I love you too". Out of response to God's already loving us the whole time.

Lord, I love you too.

Boyd
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Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

2010-12-24T08:52:00.003-05:00

The popular Celtic Rock Band, Coyote Run, sings this beautiful song:

Wise Men
Music and lyrics by David Doersch

The four words from the four Middle East languages for Peace are:
Pace, Shalom, Salaam, Namast'e

Put them together and you have one word that is chanted in the background of this song: paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

(open link in different window or tab so you can follow the words here while you listen)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Riaf5ehQ-aw

Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

Wise men from the East, They followed a distant Star.
Answered the call of peace, They traveled from afar...

All People They Want Peace
Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

In Belfast women march, To call for an end to war,
they pray for peace to start, And bombs to blast no more.

All People They Want Peace
Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

From Iraq to Kosovo, Sudan to East Timor
The world is full of woe, The people shout "no more!"

All People They Want Peace
Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

The parents cry and mourn, For children lost to hate
But must revenge be borne? Is it really now too late?

All People They Want Peace
Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

A baby in the hay, He brings a promise of love
Forgotten to this day, Will we follow the hawk or the dove?

All People They Want Peace
Paceshalomsalaamnamast'e

Peace on Earth, goodwill to all
Peace on Earth, goodwill to all
Peace on Earth, goodwill to all.

All People They Want Peace

Boyd

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Do you Realize?

2010-12-24T07:43:00.001-05:00

We have all been watching the news, and the war on terrorism is still going on.

Actually, it has been going on for countless thousands of years and God has been fighting that war since Satan came into being. Since Adam listened to that first lie, "you are not" (God won by the way).

The problem is on both sides here. On the Christian side as well as on the Terrorists side. How?

The real deep issue is that neither side knows who or what they are in Christ!

That's right! The reason the terrorists are doing what they do is because they have no idea who they are and that Jesus is right there with them ready to lead them to the Truth of who they already are! God has already accepted them and since we Christians are more about punishing them or trying to "save their souls", we are not focused on teaching them the truth of who and what they are! It's because we Christians don't know either!

That is ironic. We are just as lost when it comes to preaching the gospel. The Gospel means "good news", not threats of hell if we don't dunk them in the baptismal pool! Our anger and hatred (admit it, many Christians HATE them, not love them) towards these people are actually impeding our ability to reach them and bring them to the TRUTH of their SALVATION IN CHRIST! WOW! What Great News! What Gospel!

Now it is true they have to believe it in order to live it, but first WE must believe it. If we hold any doubt of who and what we are, if we are holding ourselves, our families and our churches back from that VITAL TRUTH, then we will NOT succeed in reaching these people! Nor can we succeed in reaching our families, friends and neighbors, let alone our enemies!

So lets start believing, really deep down inside, in our very psyche, our souls if you will.

YOU are the child of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and you have been accepted freely by God through Jesus Christ, and you belong to the Father! You are loved and accepted and God will NOT let you go!

That's it, PERIOD!

Now, lets love our enemies and give them this same good news! Not pray for their destruction, but their realization.

We must realize, and to realize something is to "make real of what is otherwise not real to you" (my definition). If you don't realize it (make it real deep down inside you) then you cannot really make it real to them either. Now of course, GOD is the one who makes all things real, and God will be the One who opens their minds to this reality. But God also uses YOU and ME (don't let the stones cry out) to do this.

Are you ready?

For God so loved the WORLD (thats everyone including our enemies).

Jesus said "Forgive them for they know not what they are doing" and said that while they were still beating and killing him! They didn't repent, they didn't realize it, in fact it is BECAUSE they didn't realize it that Jesus forgave them. For they do not know....or realize...what they are doing. Get it??

Do you really get it? Now live it and give it.

With blessings, and "goodwill to ALL [humanity]"

Boyd
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Enjoy Life to the Must!

2010-09-18T10:49:00.006-04:00

"Holy Must Batman!"

Do you have a Holy Must?

Luke 2:49,
And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

Luke 13:33
Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem.

John 3:30
He must increase, but I must decrease.

John 9:4
I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.

2 Peter 1:14
knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me.

Of course, there are many musts throughout the bible and no need to visit them all. But I had begun to wonder if our lives are filled with musts, or are they filled with “would be nice if” or “I should” or, here’s a good one, one in which we come close to endangering ourselves to blaming God for our failures…”If the Lord willing…”

Must, is a powerful statement. "I must" is saying “to heck with the excuses, the worries, the finances, the neighbors, families, friends, and even pastors and churches! I MUST…..”

Do you have a “Must” in your life? Or are you living a wish? Wishing to me is being “wishy washy”. “I wish(y-washy) I had a way to go“ turns into “I MUST go and there is a Way!”

I do not want anyone to fuss at me for seemingly ignoring key scriptures such as:

James 4:12-16
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

But should we use that as an excuse to not move forward? Should we lay back and do nothing based on assuming that it’s not God’s will? We look for signs of God telling us to move forward when God simply never put the sign up there that we should stop! If you drove down the road and saw an intersection, but there was not a stop sign, would you stop? Do you need a “Go” sign? Or do you simply drive on through assuming that the other road crossing this intersection is the one with the stop sign?

Luke 11:29 As the crowds increased, Jesus said, "This is a wicked generation. It asks for a miraculous sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.”

We keep looking for Go signs where there are none except this:

Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Emphasis of course, is mine in this quote)

That is our Holy Must, and in our everyday life, we have our Musts we ascribe to.

What is it that you Must do? Build a business? Go back to school? Become more active in your church? Spend more time with family? YOU have to dig deep inside yourself, (ask the holy spirit for help on this one) and find your MUST in your life.

I highly recommend popular book "The Shack" by William P. Young, the Holy Spirit is depicted as Sarayu, a small, delicate and eclectic woman of Asian descent, who loves to dig out weeds in your "garden", which is deep into your soul.

I also highly recommend "Your God is Too Safe" (Rediscovering the Wonder of a God You Can’t Control.) by Mark Buchanan, which helps you get out of your "Border Land", much like The Shack helps you get out of your Shack of a life.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,….”

Don't just live a musty life, enjoy life to the Must!

Boyd
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It's NOW OFFICIAL!! WE are IN!!!!

2010-01-17T19:46:00.001-05:00

It’s after Christmas, but it’s still on my mind. Not the bills, or the stuff we gave to our little girl while she still plays with her old stuff.

I’m talking about Christ. The reason for the season. And I’m talking about us, the reason he came.

When a son is born into a Jewish family, they are required on the eighth day to take him to the Jewish priest or Rabi, and present him. Of course, circumcision was a part of it too, but we’ll not talk about that. That’s the “subject to be avoided” for now.

What I am talking about is how Mary and her husband carried their son to the priest.

Now it’s interesting that apart from “the subject to be avoided”, he really did nothing to participate except to be carried in, and probably screaming after that “subject to be avoided” episode. His participation is strictly to be carried in, not knowing what is happening, or why, or where. All the events he went through was not something he remembered any more than you remember your eighth day, whatever it was you did or was done to you. The important thing is, it was done to him, and he was accepted and lived among his people as one of them. After the ceremony, he is official, he is “in”.

I’m sure Jesus, when he presented himself to the Father after his resurrection and ascension, carried humanity as well, to be presented to the Father. We don’t remember it. We just read about it. We don’t always understand why, or the pain we must have gone through in our “subjects to be avoided” in life. It happened to us and for us. Whatever it was that the holy Trinity did, we were carried there, presented and we are accepted.

It is now official! We are in!

I Think I'll Go and Repent

2009-12-27T10:28:00.004-05:00

“Don't plan to repent at the 11th hour. You may die at 10:30”

I read that somewhere, and thought about it. I do that a lot. I would take some saying on a website, or on one of those changeable copy signs in front of churches, and try to line them up in the Trinity and Humanity of Christ.

So my first question was, How do you plan to repent? Can you say, “I’m going to party now and repent later”? Is repentance a future event you are aware of now? Something you can put on layaway? There is a saying, “Don’t put off to tomorrow what can [should] be done today.” But does repentance fall into this category?

It's true that it’s better to repent now than later, but is this something you can plan?

Peter cried out to the people on the day of Pentecost, after receiving the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, to “repent and be baptized”.

Here is the problem:
In the process of "planning to repent", you will have to already be aware of your relationship to God and the realization of who and what you are right now in Christ. Repentance is changing your mind about God when you come to the realization that God is there and has always been there for you. It comes at the eye opening revelation of Jesus Christ. That was when you realized the love God had for you all along. That Jesus suffered and died for you, that he first became human after shedding his glory to take on humanity in and to himself. That was when you realized that everything Jesus has done was done for humanity and of course, for you and you are included in his saving work of grace. Repenting is changing your mind about God and accepting His truth and being and reality as something He shares with you.

Right now.

The call for repentance can only be made and understood once the gospel of Jesus Christ is plainly shown and realized. Once that light shows into the world, like clouds parting the way and revealing the soft glow of the sun, like in an epic movie where up to that point, no hope was in sight. Then suddenly, hope, light, parting of the clouds and fog, clarity, and beauty, eyes opening, healing begins, and reality sets in, then behold all things are made new. That is when repentance cannot be helped, cannot be postponed, cannot be denied, must be acted upon!

There is no time for planning, for debating, for future prospecting. Jesus did all that for us and then some. The only question now is, where is the water? BE baptized INTO the reality of Who and What you are IN HIM NOW! BE baptized for the Remission of your sins has been complete in Jesus!

Boyd

The Ultimate Sacrifice

2009-11-18T15:58:00.003-05:00

There is no doubt in any Christians mind that what Jesus did while on the cross was a pivotal point in history. We stand in awe of our Creator God, who was willing to hang on a cross after a severe beating, until dead. He even went so far as to forgive his tormentors and murders while they were still mocking him and spitting at him.

We call that the Ultimate Sacrifice. And we all benefited from that history changing sacrifice.

But was that The Ultimate Sacrifice? It is written that he died once for our sins, so we can only assume that if there was another sacrifice, it wasn’t one of death. It would have been one of a physical life.

John 1:1-10 tells us that Jesus was the Word that was with God from the beginning. Jesus was the God of the Old Testament that spoke to the prophets and spoke the universe and all that was in it, into existence. When God spoke, it happened.

For Jesus to become human, he first had to come up with that idea, to think it through, and then be willing to strip him self of the glory he had from eternity, and become not only human, but a helpless child in a womb of a very young and inexperienced mother who was still a card carrying member of the broken human family.

Of course, the Holy Spirit, God, was with him the whole time. There was never a time Jesus was not in constant communion with the Father. But to allow him self to be divested of all things God, that was a sacrifice for humanity of galactic and biblical proportions! It was unheard of, never before attempted! Knowing he will die by the hands of humanity, he still allowed him self to be “down graded” to human, to a fetus, to be carried and born a child of a poor family. From a being who owned it all, literally, to owning nothing.

So what does that mean to you and me? Everything! We praise God left and right for his sacrifice on the cross, and he should be praised! But with Christmas coming up, I think there is a lot more to his first coming as God/Man than we first see. It’s a sacrifice worth paying attention to!

If Jesus had not become fully man, we would never have a God that came down all the way, and he would not have died on the cross. So he had to become fully man, he had to die on the cross. Death had already called his name the day we sinned. Actually, earlier than that if you read Revelation 13:8: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (or cosmos).” He decided to become flesh and die, so we can put on immortality and live.

Now why do I call it The Ultimate sacrifice? It is true that he made that death sacrifice on the cross, but the ultimate one? Is death the ultimate one? As a human being, we see death as permanent, so we think of it as an ultimate sacrifice (if we made that sacrifice). Or in some cases, we call it a “permanent solution to a temporary problem” we have trouble facing.

What makes it ultimate to God? After all, death was not permanent, but a beginning to eternal life! Resurrection was just a few days away! He was to become immortal again; back to his old glory he had once before! Then what was so “ultimate” and for that matter, “sacrifice” about that?

And what is so ultimate about his becoming humanity? Because, though he died, he did live again, with more glory, but when he became human…

Pay attention now….

Read this carefully…

Ready??...

HE NEVER STOPPED BEING HUMAN!

That’s right!! Though he was resurrected back to glory, he was still human even after he was raised again!

WHAT?

Remember, he told the disciples and specifically to Thomas in Luke 24:39 “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

The Message bible says it this way: “Don't be upset, and don't let all these doubting questions take over. Look at my hands; look at my feet—it's really me. Touch me. Look me over from head to toe. A ghost doesn't have muscle and bone like this." As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet.”

Muscle and bone? Flesh? Jesus, with what we would consider as "corruptible" flesh? Apparently so. Jesus' flesh is, of course, incorruptible, and we will share in that incorruptibly of Jesus at his coming!

So we have the good news that Jesus is still human, still flesh, yet he is still fully God. God has always been with us the whole time! (Emanuel, God with us) Look at the humanity around you. Do you now see a different humanity? You should. Jesus became human for our sake, made that Ultimate Sacrifice, making a permanent solution to an eternal problem. He brought humanity; flesh, to sit at the right hand of the Father. And the Father is sitting right next to Humanity in Jesus’ humanity!

Wow!

When the Father looks at Jesus (His son in whom he is well pleased) he sees humanity. And when he sees humanity, he sees Jesus!

Now what do you see in the manger? Jesus? God? Humanity? Yes, all three.

Now that does not mean we are God of course, but what a wonderful position humanity has been put in to! The moment Jesus became human; all of humanity had a physical connection to God, the Creator of the universe! In fact, all of creation now has a connection!

So believe that. Take seriously the part in your connection to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for Jesus has overcome the world! The whole world! When Jesus as man did not sin, Man (in Jesus) did not sin! Though we (man) do sin, Jesus became that Man for us, in our stead, to be a sinless being. That is why God does not hold sin against man, because Man (The Second Adam; Jesus) did not sin for God to hold it against him! 2 Cor. 5:19 “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them.” Notice, reconciling was to the world, not to just certain men.

Because of The Ultimate Sacrifice, all I can say now is:

“Merry Christmas to all of humanity, and to all of humanity, good night”

The Universal Witch Hunt

2009-11-12T06:09:00.000-05:00

..

I do want ask about this "Universal Witch hunt" thats been going on. I have been accused of Universalism as if it is the worse thing since the discovery of witches in Salem! It's as if we are saying that Jesus came to save humanity is a bad thing!

Maybe what we need to ask is "What is Universalism" in mans eyes and what is it in God's eyes?" As long as we are looking at Universalism as the broken religion of mans making, then NO, we are NOT Universalists. But if we look at it in God's eyes, then what is so evil about it that it rates a witch hunt mentality?

Here are the extremes. The hunters believe that everyone is going to hell because God is angry and if you don't repent of your drinking, then you are going to burn in hell for all eternity (and the extra alcohol helps)! Now think about that a minute. For all eternity? Suffering for millions and billions of years for a physical problem you have trouble over coming? Because someone didn't give you the gospel of a loving God? We ask, "Why does God let little Johnny die, yet we send little Johnny to eternal damnation if he didn't know about Christ! We say that our prison system is unjust punishment, torture is illegal, slavery is illegal, yet have no problem of a loving Father sending a drunk to eternal damnation of extreme torture and suffering. Now that just does not make sense.

Yet here we are saying that God is much more loving and forgiving than that, and we are being condemned to hell for it?

Universalism? What is it really? If you are talking about a broken religion that is using (and abusing) the name Universalism without understanding, then no, we are not. But if we see Universalism for the Truth about who and what we are in Christ, then yes, we are universalists, in God's definition, not mans'.

So lets set aside the witch hunt a moment and lets see what we are really all about.

Boyd

Do You Want Overcooked Broccoli or Ice Cream?

2009-10-27T14:59:00.002-04:00

Or: You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd.

This is a good analogy for me since I am an Ice Cream Junkie! (Now you know where I got that round thingy my belt is holding in)

Imagine, you are with your friends and out on the town, having a great time. Then your friends decided to stop at the local ice cream shop to have some ice cream. Wonderful! Everyone agreed and went in, including you.

But then you started to worry about your health, your diet (or other weird things like that), so you decided to order Steamed Broccoli. Sounds silly? Of course it does!

But isn’t that what we try to do in God’s Kingdom?

Humanity is in an ice cream shop eating over cooked broccoli! (It’s over cooked because Ice Cream shops are really not in the broccoli business) Now if that don’t sound silly, I don’t know what is! (But then again, Ben and Jerry has been known to come up with broccoli ice cream, but that is another story)

Let’s get with the Kingdom program! Jesus has you in His Shop and you are trying to order from a vegan menu! It’s like crying out "Steeeeer-rike!" at a foot ball game, or playing punk rock at a ballroom dance, or as the old Roger Miller song goes, “You can’t roller skate in a buffalo herd”.

But you can try.
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Round and Round We Go

2009-10-14T12:28:00.002-04:00

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One of the things we need to question in our evangelical quest to “save as many souls as possible before all hell breaks loose" is, who, how and why.

But I keep going back to what Jesus Christ said about himself and the Father. “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” John 6:65.

Well, that’s fine and dandy, except, what if the Father never calls this person? What do we do then? I suppose we tell them “Tough luck kid, I guess you’re going to be punished in hell for the next zillion years even though you didn’t have a chance to begin with!”

That doesn’t seem to be fair, especially from a loving God and for such a short, miserable life this person had. And how would we ever know if God is calling them later or not? Should we give up? Try to save them ourselves? Wait on the Lord as some would say? (Waiting is not a bad idea by the way)

But we are still in panic mode trying our best and hope to God all these otherwise nice people don’t go to hell.

What work we do! What love for these people we must have! What commitment, zeal…and full of ourselves! What a waste of time! And God seems to be doing absolutely nothing unless we act!

Seems foolish to me, considering how weak and broken I am. So I am reminded of the foolishness of God which is still far wiser than mans wisdom. 1Cor. 1:25 Maybe we are missing something here.

Because yet another verse, which seems to contradict the first one, says, “No one can come unto the Father except through [Jesus]”. John 14:6

Stop the car! Pull over! Let’s pull this map out and read it again! First, we can’t go to Jesus unless the Father draws us to him, and we cannot go to the Father except through Jesus, whom we cannot go to unless the Father, (which we cannot access without Jesus) draws us to Jesus!! What gives?

If the only way we can access the Father is through Jesus and the only way we can access Jesus is from the Father invitation, then we can only assume we are already in contact with both, Father and Son! How? By the Holy Spirit that was sent by the Father through the Son!! NOW we see the connection! Because the Holy Spirit was sent to earth (and by default, to humanity) by Jesus, we are complete in Jesus if you understand that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity as God, (Emanuel; God with us). This was done already a long time ago! There is nothing we can do! If we try to save people thinking they have no access, then we are bypassing what Jesus AND the Father AND the Holy Spirit has done already! We were not told that we can come to Jesus through evangelism, though by evangelism, we come into the knowledge of our existence in Christ.

Either we are already in Jesus because of what they did, or there is absolutely no hope for humanity: saints and sinners!

Now what is the evangelist to do? Or have we misunderstood what we are to do? We think we are called to save souls. Well, to a certain limit, yes, but for what, and for whom? It isn’t a matter of saving people from, but for. Isn’t our main priority to announce the Good News of God’s Kingdom which, if I’m not too far mistaken, Jesus is King of right now? If Jesus is the King of a Kingdom, then we can only assume there are subjects (citizens) of that Kingdom. And Jesus’ Kingdom includes all of humanity. So the real question is, what are we “saving” them, or better yet, leading to them understanding, for?

All we are called to do is to announce the Good News of this Kingdom and teaching all nations (peoples, who are already a part of this Kingdom) to observe and learn their role in this Kingdom! And to help people see who Jesus is, who they are in Jesus, and to help them receive (not get) the understanding (via Holy Spirit) and accept the “already done” into their daily lives.

Either we are going round and round trying to save people (just in case Jesus missed a few), or God has already resolved this circular puzzle.

May this circle be unbroken.

“Lord, please open our eyes to your Kingdom already at hand”

I am afraid of what others might think!

2009-10-09T12:49:00.005-04:00

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I heard that many times in life, and have found myself using it as well. That has stopped many people from enjoying life, moving forward and taking risks. Including me.

But what does this mean when we look at it in the reality of who and what we are in Christ?

I will go over each word individually, but also as part of the whole. For every word spoken in this sentence, adds more problems exponentially.

I: "I" is a big word. It is all about Me. Me, myself and I. MeMeMeeee! The first thing we do is start off with “me” when we should be starting off with the Triune God. So we say “I” instead of saying “Our Father”.

I am: Like Adam, we begin to replace God, the Great I AM, with our own version of “I am”. (Gen. 3:10) We have ideas of what we are outside of who and what we are in Christ. If we start with the true “I AM”, the Trinity, then we would not be so focused on this broken "I am".

Afraid: Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). So right off the bat, we are not using the fruit of the Holy Spirit: Love. The very first words of Adam to God after he took of that forbidden fruit were, “I was [am] afraid”. Fear sums up all of the troubles and sins of humanity. And the first victim of that fear was God. Adam and Eve found a new fear and hid themselves from God. But Jesus Christ removed that fear. So why are we still hiding from God and from each other? We still hold on to that fear because we are still seeing ourselves as “I am” rather than seeing God.

Of What: Yes, of what? What are you afraid of? An unknown? “I am afraid of what” is a good question. We too often don’t even know what we are afraid of, so we lash out against God and everything and everyone else.

Others: That committee of others. Whoever they are. Like the “what”, we don’t even know "who". We have yet to meet them. So we just call them “others”. What is so detrimental about this is that the “others” might be your family, friends and neighbors! Why are we afraid of them? What have they done to deserve such a critical view of them? It shows how critical and accusing we have become. Again, like Adam who blamed God and Eve for his fears and troubles.

Might: Not will, just “might”. We are not even sure that they will think or not think. We just stop our lives in mid stroke just based on a “might”, a "maybe", a “not sure but just in case”. There is no reality to this fear except our own.

Think: Not do, just "think". Now when did the thought of others actually hurt you? The only way the thoughts of others can hurt you is when they act or speak out those thoughts. But we have not gotten that far yet. We are still just on “think”. Maybe they did think these things (whatever it is that we think they thunk), and IF they did, they may have changed their thoughts immediately and started thinking right (called repentance). Or maybe their thoughts were very good towards you (Like God’s thoughts towards Adam and Eve were good), but we are afraid of them anyway, even though they may not have thought them at all.

Put them all together and you are revealing a whole mess of broken theology at work in your lives!

When you really think about it (speaking of which), you will find that our fears are based on selfishness and believing that others are taking their valuable time and concern and negatively placing it towards you and that what they think are actually evil thoughts! In reality, they are actually our evil thoughts towards them! How dare we to stop living based on our misconceptions of our family, friends and neighbors. And who said they were thinking about you anyway you selfish “i am”? They have their own concerns!

Who knows? The "Others" may want to support you in your mission in life! And if they don't, that is their life, not yours.

“I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 Yes, Jesus said “might” (KVJ), but not because Jesus is holding back, but because we still allow our selfish, paranoid fears to hold us back from the reality of who and what Jesus is and our wonderful relationship we have with God. We can now live back in His garden, living off of the Tree of Life, who is Jesus.

“I am afraid of what others might think” is so wrong on so many levels!

If Jesus thought like that, he never would have walked on water, or healed on the Sabbath, or picked grain on the Sabbath! He is the real "I AM" and I AM is not afraid of what others might think!

I will admit that some people do have broken relationships with someone thinking negatively towards them, but chances are, they are thinking negatively towards a lot more than just you and the life you are living in Christ. It is them, not you.

Boyd

The Exact Same Thing, But Different

2009-09-24T12:08:00.002-04:00

Did you know that the word “Motel” was invented by a sign painter? The sign board was not big enough for the typical “Motor Hotel” and still be read by motorists going by at 60mph. So he combined the two words into one and it became Motel. That’s a challenge sign painters like myself face all the time. We don’t need the whole menu, just the name and something simple to draw in the customers. There is a saying, “Why use a $20 word when a $2 word will do?”

In the northeast part of the US, there are large communities of Amish, and their “cousins”, Mennonites.

In our area, Mennonites are the prominent group. They are not as strict as the Amish (they drive cars), but still, very religious. They will not stray far from the King James Version (KJV), though they might enjoy the New King James.

There is this one Mennonite who puts out a sign in his front yard with a scripture or thought from scripture. It is not one of those ugly signs some well meaning Christians scrawl on walls with a bad paint brush.
This is done professionally, on a nice 12”x18” sign board (a professional guess), both sides, easily readable from the road. As a professional sign painter, I’m impressed. I’m also impressed with his consistency, every two months, a new saying or verse. Always up to date, always clean. Very Mennonite of him.

And also very typical “Christian Speak”.

Sayings like “Repent and be converted” or something like that.

What do they mean? How are the people driving by being affected? Who gets the message? And do they understand the Language of The Church? Our “Inspeak”?

The most recent hot bible on the market that is gaining popularity, to the point where Bible Gateway (website) even has a copy of it, is The Message. To King James Version enthusiasts, The Message Bible is blasphemous. But to modern young people, it’s a life line, an opportunity, a relief, a book they can finally understand.

I’ll admit, I am not a big fan of it myself, and probably because to me, it over simplified it or feel some usages are over done (I like the New International Version or The Living Bible). I may read a simple 8 word line in the KJV or NIV, and read a whole “blog” in that same verse in The Message. Without citing samples, I’ll just say, I’m not comfortable with it. That does not mean it is incorrect, but if I were to talk to a KJV enthusiast, I would probably not use it.

However, do we over use some Christian language when we talk to people, either verbally, on blogs like this or on a road side sign? Are we getting the message across where they can understand it? What does “Repent” mean and “be converted” mean? To engineers, mechanics and sign artists, conversion is part of their language. How would I convert from US standard to Metric? If I can’t find my half inch wrench, I’ll use a 12mm instead. But I learned that by experience and necessity. I get put off watching science shows that insist that we understand their language and units of measurement. Maybe I’m lazy, but when they say its twenty five kilometers, I have no idea how far that is. So I have to miss half the show figuring it out, or just ignore that comment and assume it’s a long way. That is conversion. But is that what God is talking about? Is it “the exact same thing, but different”?

What about repent? That’s a nice archaic word to mean turn around or change your direction or mind (in a simplistic way).

How about if we just say:

“We need to change the way we think about God and our relationship with him, and as a result, be changed into a whole new person”

That would help a lot more than just “repent and be converted”. And that is basically what it means. Unfortunately, it’s also too wordy for a 12”x18” sign to be read by people driving by at 60mph.

Maybe we Christians are the ones who need to repent and convert our language.

Let Jesus Do It!

2009-09-18T08:51:00.005-04:00

I got this interactive analogy I like to use on people.

I pull out a set of keys or a quarter and lay it on my hand and then tell them to try to take it out of my hand.

They are expecting me to close my hand, so they quickly grab it. Since I did not close my hand, they easily got it, then I would say, “No, try to take it out of my hand”

So again, they would reach for it, and again, I don’t close my hand, and they easily take it out of my hand.

Then I say “You don't understand. I want you to TRY to take it out of my hand!”

By this time, they are confused. How can you try to take something out of someones hand when they don’t make it difficult? All they are doing is just taking it out of my hand, when I told them to TRY to take it out.

Naturally, they are confused because they expected a struggle and hardship, but realizing that it’s more difficult to try to do something that should come easily to you. Like letting Jesus do the work and start celebrating our existence in Jesus reality. We work too hard trying to "get saved" or saving others as if Jesus needed us to do it.

I think it takes more faith to trust Jesus to do it than it is for us to try hard. Maybe that is why so many work so hard for their salvation, they lack faith in Jesus to take care of their salvation!

Do you really want more faith? Then quit trying so hard!

“Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try” ~Yoda

Boyd

Holy Spirit and the Brain

2009-09-17T11:13:00.007-04:00

.

Pinky: “What are we going to do today Brain?”

Brain: “The same thing we do every day Pinky, try to take over the world!”

Warner Brothers “Pinky and the Brain”

What do the human brain and the holy spirit (sent from heaven) have in common?

We don’t use either one of them enough.
God isn’t sending any more.

My wife likes to use this phrase when confronted with human idiocy. “Why don’t they use the brains God gave geese?” As you know, sometimes geese don’t seem to have enough brains as it is. (She often uses “common sense” as well). Yet sometimes we go through life not even using that much. At best, geniuses use 9, maybe 10 percent at best. Wile Coyote, a Super Genius uses 10.5% So we get on our knees and ask God for more brains.

Lately, I have been confronted with the idea that there is a second phase to the holy spirit gifts. The holy ghost. That is supposed to be the second power or special gift God gives to those that are holier than others, I think. An example I was given was the apostles asking the people who among them were filled with the holy spirit (holy ghost in the KJV) to be raised as deacons to serve the widows in the church. (Book of Acts)

Personally, I just think these people are picked out not because they were given a second gift or experienced a “holy ghost”...thingy. Personally, I just simply think they are using the holy spirit in their lives, participating in the work God gave them to begin with. The people recognized their faith and life as being in line with God’s plan for them. The others are just receiving what they are serving already. Basically speaking, they were already doing the obvious work of deacons.

We sometimes find churches calling out for the holy spirit (holy ghost) to “come down” and expecting an “experience” of the holy ghost. As if, for some reason, the holy spirit was not at church at that moment! So far, I have not seen any examples of that happening in the bible except where the holy spirit was first sent to the disciples in the upper room where they waited as Christ asked them to. Then later in a gentile location, a church who have not heard of the holy spirit was given a sign of the power when given to the whole church at that location. Outside of that, nothing was “called down” nor was the holy spirit invoked. It was just simply given by God in a unique way.

We are given (not get) the holy spirit/ghost by God when Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father as promised. What are we expecting? An experience? He never promised that.

Jesus came to earth once. Jesus became human once. Jesus lived, suffered, died and was raised once. (He died once for ALL of humanity) Jesus ascended to heaven once. We are baptized once. And he sent the Holy Spirit once.

So what do we do now? Ask God to help us use what he has given already, to use the fruits of the holy spirit (see Gal. 5:22) in our lives now. Make ourselves open, vulnerable and naked before God to allow him to work with us where we are now. Faith is putting our trust (what little we have) in God to do what he wills in our lives. Let God open our brains (the other 90%) to recognize the holy spirit and all that it has at work in our lives already.

Pinky: "So how does one get more holy spirit?"
Brain: "The same way you get more brains, Pinky, you use what you got!"!

“If you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains” – Jesus

The Kingdom of God Is Like a Bear In a Zoo

2009-09-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a man who was given the task of running the zoo and caring for its animals. He was called The Zoo Keeper.

The Zoo Keeper walked the grounds of the zoo and observed the animals and their surroundings. He was not pleased with what he saw. He saw caged up animals that were not in their natural environments. He heard their cries and gnashing of teeth, and sometimes he heard nothing at all as they lay sleeping their lives away.

One particular animal took his interest. It was a bear that slept in one corner of his cage, and when he was hungry, he would get up slowly, walk over to the opposite corner to eat the food that was given to him. He would then walk back to his corner and lay down to go back to sleep. He was unhappy and unhealthy.

So The Zoo Keeper decided to change things. He told his servants of a huge project which would involve acquiring new land, expanding the environment and building natural landscapes for the animals that would be similar to what they would enjoy in the wild. The elephants would live in an environment similar to what is found in Africa, and the monkeys would swing from real trees, and the polar bears would enjoy large cold water tanks and rocks. The servants rejoiced in hearing the Good News, and began the work. When they accomplished the renovations, the Zoo Keeper said, “It is good.”

They then took the cage with the bear in it and set it into his new environment along with the other bears. They opened his cage door and waited. The bear sniffed the air, looked around, then walked over to his food, ate it, and then went back to his corner and laid down to sleep.

So the Zoo Keeper said, “Take down the walls of the cage and carry them away from here. The bear does not realize that the door is opened to him, that he is free and has a new environment in which to live.” So they took down the walls of his old cage, carried them away leaving the bear sleeping. When the bear awoke, he looked around and noticed something different. But his hunger took over, he got up as usual and walked over to where his food is accustomed to be, ate his food and then went back to where is bed was, and laid down to sleep. Even though there were no walls to confine him, he did not move beyond the confines of his belief of where his walls once stood.

So the keeper said, “Take his food away from him. Give him better food, food that has strong smell that will attract a bear, and put it several feet away from his normal area, and let us wait.” So they took the food away and set out a feast that only a bear could truly appreciate, and they put it several feet away from his usual place, away from his usual confines. Eventually the bear woke up, walked over to where his food once sat, and did not find it. He sniffed the air, and smelled the strong food and flavors that would attract a bear, yet not seeing it, he turned back to his bed and laid there and slept, but this time, hungry.

Those with ears let them hear.

Notice that though the bear is in his new kingdom, a member of that kingdom, yet he denied his freedom and allowed the walls of his mind and beliefs to hold him to his old environment. He did not see nor cared that the other bears are free. All he knew was his old environment. Was the bear destroyed or punished for his lack of understanding? No, but he suffered needlessly because of his disbelief, continuing his crying and gnashing of teeth. But daily, the servants of the zoo came to patiently lead him away from his old confines until he eventually was able to enjoy his new environment.

It is written that those who live by the law will die by the law. The old law, like the cage, has been taken away. But if the bear believed that he is still confined to that area, he will live and eventually die within the area of his existence. But the Zoo Keeper was compassionate and loved the bear. Instead of letting the bear sleep his life away, he sent in his servants who encouraged the bear and showed what his freedom would bring to his life. He eventually found a new place to sleep and eat, but more importantly, he found enjoyment in his new environment along with bears of his kind.

Then the Zoo Keeper said, “It is very good”.

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-04:00

This is yet another Blog on Christianity! I hope this will be of some help to those who are still struggling with Church and folks that go there.

Often, we work way too hard to be Christians instead of letting Christ work in and through us. so many rules, so many expectations from people we know, and even more expectations from people we don't know, or worse, don't know us.

So feel free to comment on this blog.

Boyd