Men and Eternal Treasure: Idols, Chariots, and the Phallus...

I chose the title as a humorous and mnemonic device to separate things into easy digestable pieces. Also, the impetus for this little discourse originated with a idea of "Ten things that most hinder our spiritual development." Yeah, I realized it as well, no one will remember ten things. And the thoughts diverged when discussing this with my wife. Clearly there is a division between the behaviors and practices that stifle men as opposed to women.

So, this is directed at men, and those who love the male part of humanity. I will get out a separate set of thoughts on women later, it is still brewing. Besides, I haven't got the equivalent category labels yet for the ladies, and that is half the battle in remembering these ideas.

Now I must address the scope of the topics and how they are essentially the same from age to age. What hinders us from growing spiritually with God, and expanding our communication with the Eternal King has little to do with our lifestyles, and the changing times. No, the things that we will recognize in hindsight as we age in this generation as limiting our depth with the Lord have timeless core principals.

To emphasize that, I chose labels that reflect ancient civilization. We could have picked any point in history, and in the future, things will arise that physically and linguistically replace these representations, but not the underlying causation. As a quick reference to today, we can consider the three categories above with such modern labels like Television, Cars, and Sex. Other specifics fit as well, so don't get hung up on dichotomization of the principles.

Lets begin with the Idols. In our day, the prevalent idol sits in your living room or on your desk. You sit and submit yourself to its teachings, respond to its stimulations, and generally worship a imaginary facade. Now, I am not here to bash entertainment. Nor do I think all content on the web is just amusement or worse. Video games, simulations, other interactive activities have many positive possibilities. No, my purpose is to discuss this in terms of what is hindering your spiritual growth.

To do that, we must construct scenarios in each category that highlight that hindrance. For the idolatry, it is pretty easy. You get very little eternal life from television. The physical act of visual stimulation by TV actually trains your brain to not think, to not imagine. It is a drain on physical development, especially for children. Now, that does not mean you have to be legalistic and not watch it for that reason, just be aware that you are taking entertainment time, and not growing in life.

That time adds up. Two hours a day, adds up to six years sitting in front of the luminescant idol in a typical lifetime. I can guarantee you, if you are a Christian, and you reach the young age of 72, you will want some of those six years back. Furthermore, if you are a average American, the time you spend in front of the idol is more than double the two hours I use. Can you justify fifteen years of your life just sitting, giving you time and attention to a box? You will have wanted to do something else with part of that time, no question.

Don't worry, down time, destressing, relaxing, all of these are worthwile things. And if you use a hour per day of TV for that, I have no argument. But many Christians fill their minds with entertainment, knowing deep in their conscience that it is slowly poisoning their soul, and turn around with lame justifications. So what if your favorite actor is a Christian. What does it matter if the show is "appropriate for families". You are bowing down to a glowing box, and no good thing can come of that.

There are many interconnected themes associated with television, video games, and webtainment. The principles are the same in each, so lets deviate into a major sub area applicable to men, namely sports. Combat without death (hopefully). Connection to a cause, and movement. Emotional highs and lows. Endless hours of your time. Good fun, and wholesome at times. But have you experienced the combination of obsession and projection in this area? Visualizing, thinking "I could do that". Scheduling your time to catch all of the games. Filling your mind with stats, stories. All fed and reinforced by the glowing box.

You can see clearly with this simple test. Find a quite place, plead the blood of Christ. Ask God to put sports in perspective for your life, your family, your brothers and sisters in the Lord. If you can dig this question out with a clean heart, He is faithful to answer. And you might just find a few extra hours a week full of eternal life away from the glowing idol.

Don't start in on me, my brothers, about how this team prays before each game, or that famous star is a Christian. Ask God about the relationship to your spiritual walk. Forget flimsy justification of your glowing idol time. There are many wonderful things that can be obtained in sports, but sports are a construction of man. It is not the walk of God, the path of eternal life. Get straight on sports in relation to the glowing idol and you will undoubtedly obtain spiritual development.

In summary, when you consider what you want to do with your life as a man, and as one who would walk with God, bowing down to the glowing box is not on the plus side of your breathing years. Try turning it off for a couple weeks. If that is impossible, you have associated behaviors that will require attention. Don't get depressed or frustrated, ask God for vision and grace. He is faithful to our requests.

Now we move on to Chariots, and in a ironic twist, one of my favorite television shows is Top Gear. Yes, cars on TV, what more could a man want, except the very attractive counterpart to man, woman. OK, digression aside, the reason for picking on cars is twofold. They are a externalization of man's pride, and a representation of our life travels.

It doesn't have to be cars though, any toy will do, and there isn't a man alive that doesn't have some toys. We need to build, construct, shape and control our environment. We want to make the world see our power, our achievements. It is a good thing naturally, that way all the smart, observant women can pick good genes to propagate.

So, with the base reasons on full display, why don't women pick a man based upon his car? Oh, you can test this one out easily. Ask any lady you know (apart from the few motor heads), if she would date the owner of that IROC Camero on the corner, or the dually F350 in the driveway. For that matter, pick just about any car that is not a utilitarian vehicle, or a pop icon like a hybrid, and it will do absolutely nothing for a woman's choice of mate.

But get the man behind the wheel of his dream coupe or stomping truck, and the heart swells. He thinks all the world is looking at him. Feel the power, cruise the boulevard, be seen, the world knows he has arrived. Except the world doesn't care at all. In fact, the world tends to be derisive or jealous in this case.

I bet you think I am going to dish out about what car is bad or good, but not here. Remember, we are looking at what hinders our spiritual development. Judging what vehicle you choose to travel in has no appeal to me. Where is the life in that? No, it is the connection to our external image that we will look at, and for a man, the car is a worthy proxy for all our externalizations.

Imagine the powerful centurion, in favor with Rome, purchasing for himself the latest is gold accessorized, camel haired, spiked, wide track chariot with a two week warranty. Perfectly reasonable, and in line with his position and wealth. In fact, he may long for the days of simplicity, when tooling around in the ol' sliver bucket attracted no attention.

Have we changed? Did you play with cars as a kid? Long for that exquisite ride as a teenager. I wanted a lifted GMC High Sierra with fat off-road tires when I was thirteen. Even then I knew it was useless in the bush, but it sure looked great. Our base identities as men in this society are connected to these symbols of personal freedom, power, wealth.

And that raises the real issue. Do you want a new car? Have one in mind? Most of us have something in mind, even if we know it is not a reality. But take those things before God! Lay down your freedom at His feet to become really free, eternally free! Conform the decisions you have, the real power you have, to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God will grant you more power, beyond your imagination. Open up your treasure chest, your pocket book, your portfolio to God, and watch Him transform your perception of wealth into that which never fades!

We are constrained by our perception. "If only I had a raise, I could afford that convertable." Or perhaps, "These rims are so awesome, my car will be perfect!" With this we focus our desire, our imagination into areas that are illusions. There is no eternal life here. Take stock of your perception, see if there is anything motivating you. Then get in a quiet place and talk to the King about it.

There is no reason for Christians to be poor and without fine things. But there is a reason God doesn't want you to attach yourself to those things. Each desire, each physical item that sucks up your attention and energy, hinders your spiritual advancement. And when those things are connected deep into your psychological makeup, they can heavily block the eternal life you are able to access.

Such is the case with men and cars (or similar items). Dealing with these externalizations of our conscious and subconscious needs can be confusing, frustrating, even depressing and life altering. I have known marriages that fell apart because "He loves that car more than me!" Now, it wasn't that he loved the car more, it was that he could not face the real issues of resentment, money, and intimacy that were littered about. And the car was a shield, a picture of success, power, freedom that wasn't a reality elsewhere.

This is why I put the chariot on the list for men. We have a deep need to be powerful, successful, providers. And we want to display that to the world in the things we have. Refusing to let the Lord transform some of these needs, especially when they start choking out healthy parts of our lives, is a major wall to spiritual development. Sometimes we don't even know that we are at that wall. Ask simply, with a honest heart, about your attachment to anything external. God is very faithful in dealing with this. If you fear loosing something, or perhaps you just can't live without that IROC Camero, ask for Grace, He is faithful.

Now we get to the insides of a man. Yes it is the Phallus. The everpresent driving force behind many of the decisions men make. Why take out the trash (under duress)? To create a door, a possibility. The hope of satisfaction. Why does your eye rove? Testosterone loves a picture, your imagination is hardwired to the third leg. But again, there are countless better Christian counselors about intimacy and relationships than I. This is just a signpost to spiritual development, and roodblock identification.

For that matter, it is the internalization of our image. Now you wonder about that, but let me be clear. Every man has looked at it, considered what the size means. Every man has some perception about his own "manhood". Many think that they are inadequate, and compensate externally in some way. Others simply love the thing, and worship a part of their own body. Constantly thinking about satisfaction, degenerating into lifestyles of self destruction.

Then there is the "natural" man who follows his instinct, which is to spread his seed far and wide. Great for determining genetic success, but not so good for society. So how do we get to the spiritual man in this matter? Especially considering the average male (outside of that screwed up 12-25 age group) thinks about copulation 17 times a day on average. Well, it is simple, yet one of the hardest things. God is faithful to protect you. He extends every Grace and assistance to keep you from falling into the phallic traps.

Yet why do many men constantly fall? It is due to lack of transformation. You can gain strength, become faithfull, constantly turn away from images and temptations, but the desire thrives. The deep pulsing tide of man ebbs and flows through your loins. Recognize that it is there, and that with renewall in your mind and will, you can easily master it. That desire exists for a good, healthy reason, but its connection to your behavior and thoughts are flawed. It is in the broken nature of man, fundamentally subverted to the smell of estrogen. It is in the society around you, constantly reinforcing the satisfaction of physical contact with some ethereal "perfect" woman.

These broken pieces are in your thoughts and will, not in your actual Johnson. They are just like any other piece of us that God wants to mold and shape. The only difference is our reluctance to open up this are to God. Open your heart, be brutally truthful. God already knows how many times you failed. Confess your actions, desires, and ask for the process of healing to begin. Then actually try to control yourself. Abstain for as long as you can. If you fail, just get down on your knees and hash it out with God. He will heal you, and you can easily master this area.

For the happily married man, we still deal with the trappings, the roving eyes, the irritation when you aren't satisfied. We need to do the same. It is good to abstain for a week, "fasting" and such. It is also good to be honest if you haven't been getting any satisfaction. Be clear and simple, to God and your spouse. Transformation in this area will bring such peace as you have never known. A clean cool breeze of peace like the first day of spring. And it stays, you just want more. Your will becomes strong knowing you have mastery over the "flesh" in this area.

As a phallic finality, for those who have fallen to a low place, the first step is recognizing you are not satisfied, even with all the activity, images, trappings of the that twisted realm. You can't get the sensation through those things and relationships. You can't buy it, make it, take a pill to get it, watch some show, anything. It won't happen through any form of illicit excitement, those are all illusions that lead to worse emptiness.

I am sure you have read the headlines about some guy driving around in his chariot, watching his portable glowing idol, and servicing his phallus. As men we can be the most twisted up balls of emptiness around, but God is still ready to help. Even in that triple darkness, His light easily penetrates, and brings peaceful reality.

Turn away from the spiritual hindrances. You know what is stopping your growth. It is the thing you won't admit to, won't let God touch. You are afraid of the exposure, of the change. But he is faithful to us, kind and generous. He has never held back His comfort and Grace from me, even in my darkest confusion. And being honest, talking to the Eternal King with a contrite heart, a heart that sees it own duplicity and admits it, always brings for the process of transformation.

Men, overcome these hills, these walls to your progress. You only have today, you may not be tomorrow. And if you do make it to a ripe age, certainly looking back these things will be of no worth. You won't care about what car you drove when it is the end of days, You won't even remember what shows you watched on TV, or what games you played. And I would hope that you ceased to care about the size of your phallus by then...

Thank you Lord for opening our eyes, for exposing all that prevents us from staying in the Kingdom continuously. Oh help me to heed my own words, to turn from the distractions, no matter how deeply they are embedded in my soul, and reach for your life. May your Kingdom be ever expanding, and your name magnified throughout the earth.

On Meetings, Churches, and Gathering Together

Some Christians find themselves in a quandary about what church to attend, where to meet, and dealing with doubts and guilt about the modern church practices. I have wrestled with the same thoughts and doubts. Hopefully this short discourse can be enlightening for you to gain faith and guidance in your walk.

First of all, examine your heart about this question: What do you feel guilty about doing or not doing in the context of church? Make a list if necessary. Perhaps you feel pressured to attend a certain group. Or you feel guilt for not going to Sunday service where you have traditionally gone. You don't like the worship, or a certain pastor annoys you. Or you feel frustrated by the anonymity of your current meetings. Be honest, there is no correct answer, and God already knows your heart. He is not out to condemn you, but to give you life.

Honestly examining your concerns and confusion can be huge in hearing the Spirit, and finding guidance. If there is a preponderance of guilt associated with your heart in this matter, confess your failings, and claim the sacrifice Jesus made. Dwelling in guilt is a dead end spiritually, and will lead to greater confusion and life problems.

Now ask God simply to lead you to believers who are full of life. That sounds altogether too simple, yet by faith you were saved from death, and by that same faith you are led to life. We must meet in faith, and not by compulsion or earthly desire for community. Finding believers who are full of life to meet with will erase all those doubts and confusion about the church. The life is in the actual knit together body of believers located somewhere near you, irregardless of what building they use, or what label they put on the building.

Expect to get that life from a small group setting in this day and age. Modern Cultural Christianity has many large gatherings of this form or that, but the life flows between individual members communicating with each other, which is limited in a large group. You must communicate with a few close members regularly to have a sense of that life source. Meet in the kitchen, meet at the coffee shop, meet in the park. Talk to each other, pray together, sing and worship God together. Move in the gifts, suplying one another with eternal life.

How does that fit within the context of this church or that denomination? To gain a appreciation of what those organizations represent, think of them in terms of community centers, simply local gathering places. Doctrine, religious practices, organizational structures, all of these things are traps if you focus on them. Feel free to attend service at different denominations and non-denominations, at various gathering places. Some meetings may seem completely dead, sterile, and strange. Others may be loud and offensive to you. But consider where you will find the life you seek, it is in the believing members around you, no matter where or how they meet.

If your only experience of meeting together is to sit in a seat, standing up, sitting down, shaking the hand of someone next to you, then listening to one man speak, you are missing out. That is not to discount the measure of life given to one man, some great, who speak regularly. But they have a single capacity, however gifted, of the life in them. All the while, surrounding you, are believers who's collective measure of life is enormous, yet is just sitting there, unused.

It is Christ in you that supplies the eternal life for your brothers and sisters, and gives witness to the world of that life. And it is Christ in the believers around you that have your supply of life. Exchanging that life, building together to God's purpose in this age, means communicating with one another. We must be in intimate contact with each others spirit, finding Christ together.

Finding a church to attend, discovering a meeting place acceptable to you is not about weighing what you need doctrinally. It is not about the best worship band. It is not about a deeply spirit filled minister. It is not about the best pre-school, sunday school, youth group, men's outreach, women's prayer circle, singles ministry, or any other offering. These are all good things! But they are not the reason you need to meet together! Gathering together is to build faith, to exchange eternal life, to supply one another, to manifest the living God!

You can't help but know the difference when you find life together. If this is close to your heart, and you don't have the experience of exchanging eternal life with each other right now in your life, earnestly ask God to lead you to faithful Saints who share life in that way. If you feel stuck in a organization, you may actually be! That doesn't make the church wrong or bad, it just means you are not finding life. And if you are not finding life, you are not functioning spiritually.

Our God is not the the ruler of division. Go to some different meetings. We should anyhow, to see other believers, and the life they share. The life in you recognizes the life in other believers. You will sense it if that is your desire. And if you sense it, you will want to connect, to exchange life. Opening your eyes in this way will expand your faith and may lead directly to that group God would have you fellowship with.

Realize that what Christ looks at in your community is all of the faithful. He does not see this sect, that denomination, some building, or how stained the glass in the window is. He sees us, and moves among us when we meet together. Filling each with a measure to give out, building a base of faith that can display the powerful movement of the Spirit.

To be a part of what God want in your community, and to find the life supply for yourself, make a few changes in perspective. A "official meeting" of the church is when two or more have gathered to share the love of Jesus. Add a simple few minutes of prayer to any get-together and see life flow. If you are a mother at home, add a worship song or two to your weekly playdate, instant meeting potential. If you are in a bible study, ask each other what God is speaking. Seek for the life supply in each other at these basic levels and you will find it flowing.

We live in a complicated society of self centered lives, and our schedules do not engender the type of constant association typical of historical contexts. We compartmentalize, pick our friends, tune out the world with entertainment, isolate ourselves in work, many other things as well. To overcome this, let God find a regular group for you, a small band of believers who share eternal life. He is faithfull to lead you, and make that regular meeting happen.

It may be a group from a mega-church, it may be at independent home meetings. It could be right next door. The life in you will respond wherever the meeting is. You will sense spiritual satisfaction like never before. Commit yourself to that group and be a supply for them, each of us has a measure of the life no matter how young or old in the Lord! By seaking the Lord in this way, inquiring of Him to lead you to the practical Body of Christ, the simple practice of meeting to exchange eternal life amongst the believers, you will leap past those questions of what church, what meeting, where to gather. You will see all the structures and organizations of man as a community backdrop to the real Church, the practical knit together display of Christ in our day.

May the Lord lead you to living water, and may you find Grace in connecting with brothers and sister who love eternal life and love to share that life. May the Spirit of God highlight the path, and may all the trappings of man fall away from your eyes. Peace and love in Christ Jesus, the Eternal King.

That I Could Understand

I have been pondering the words of the Eternal King spoken to Isaiah. I don't have all of the vision, all of the understanding. And what I want right now is more life, a pouring out of the anointing Spirit, bathing my dessicated heart. I want to absorb that living water, to soak up the life into my soul. My need is great, and from that place I was examining these words.

We need to take the whole first utterance as a block and consider it:

Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they sea with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.

Oh how we need help! The King comands to close up the heart of these people, a people of unclean lips. He wants them deaf and blind as well. Why? Why would God decree such? This is a people who have been taught God's word, have been told of His Glory. A people whose fathers were saved mightily by trusting in God, ancestors that believed the Lord and acted with faith in living for God. And now they have turned away. Knowing the history of truth, they have rejected the life.

What does this mean for you and I personally? I sense great fear when I read this. Let not my heart seek after the junk food of the world, becoming fat and immobile. Let my heart be exercised in faith, let it be full of vigor. Open my eyes Lord, that I may see and turn! Heal my ears that I may hear you, to follow your voice. Make my heart understand, that I may enter into the Kingdom and be healed!

Now, in the context of the eternal timeline, from the beginning to the end, there is a message here. We know of the park, the garden at Eden. A spiritual location to be sure, where man was able to walk freely with God. When man chose to decide for himself, to sit on the throne of his own heart, he crossed over a boundary established by God. No longer could he partake of the Tree of Life, no longer could he access the flow of eternal life. Man faced now the curse of death, his days were numbered.

But God established a way for man to find life. A principle of sacrifice was necessary, innocent blood representing payment for man's transgression. God even "provided skins" for Adam and Eve in place of thier faulty clothing. He made the sacrifice for them. This principal led to the full picture in the physical realm of the coming New Kingdom, that picture being the descendants of Abraham. God worked out through the Israelites many things. Important pictures of the Eternal Kingdom. Signposts in time of the full work God intended to recover man to Himself.

As the crux of history approached, the transfer point, God prepared to remove the picture. He intended to destroy the old way of access. Even under that old way, man's nature was such as to turn from God repeatedly. Man can not live up to the requirements of the law. We are broken and flawed, and have not the means of fulfilling the law within ourselves.

So the closing out of the old contract began. The Eternal intended to establish a new contract, one that all could access, all could partake of. This was His intent always, and we have pictures of that spiritual reality sprinkled throughout the texts. But the time had come for the physical "people of God", the Israelites, the picture of the spiritual reality in the New Kingdom, to be removed.

There is a working out of this removal in Jesus own ministry. What is amazing is the parallel thinking, the perfect connection between Christ and the Father. Open your heart to understanding and see if this rings true:

"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes:

yea, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in thy sight."

What is he referring to as hiding? The judgment of specific towns He had performed works in. They failed to respond, to show repentance, to follow life. Jesus attests to the intent of God to hide the impending removal of the old system from the wise and understanding. These are the scribes and Pharisees, the current educated leaders of God's people by the old standard! That sends a healthy shiver of fear down my spine.

Now, there are many interpretations of apocalyptic verses like Jesus prophesy stated above in the gospel of Matthew. There are many consistent prophesies before the time of Christ as well. The temple at Jerusalem was destroyed once, then rebuilt. The second destruction being prophesied by Jesus in the Olivette discourse. And some believe that it must be rebuilt again. But the reality has little to do with a physical temple, or a system of religion. If you believe Jesus is the Messiah, there are a few points that make all speculation moot.

If you believe he is the Messiah, you believe he is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. You believe His words, "I came to fulfill the Law." You believe He is the ultimate sacrifice. And where did that sacrifice take place? Where did God allow it to happen? Outside the physical temple. Outside the physical "chosen city of God", Jerusalem. Clearly God was done with locations and physical temples when Jesus blood hit the ground. That act alone renders apocalyptic speculation a tenuous subject.

The New Temple was founded. The New Kingdom established. The reign of Christ began. Yes, the physical second temple was destroyed within a generation, and that was a cleansing away of the picture God used of the now established reality. The new reality is of the Body of Christ, the Eternal Temple, the New Kingdom, and how all are able to be accessed by man in each age, at each location.

I completely refrain from attacking any interpretation or view held by modern Christians. Just be aware that if you have pushed forward in time some specific phisical manifestation of the reign of Christ, you are at risk of doubt or denial about His nature. He is alive now. He moves in His body in each locality. He reigns from the throne of the New Kingdom. That is where we strive to exist, where we get our life right now in the present.

What need have we of physical food if we are eating the Tree of Life? What greater river do you plan to drink from than the one flowing from the throne right now? Of what great importance is it to God to influence this age or the next according to man's wishes? Yet that is the place of the speculators, judging the world, and looking for a physical manifestation of God's Kingdom to suit the world. The physical manifestation is here now, if you practice the Body of Christ. What more do we need?

This returns us to those words heard by Isaiah. Focusing on the world, judging the world, looking to the physical is a trap of sorts, even in the context of Christian Doctrine. Our concern is with the heart of man and the Eternal Kingdom. With the things that last forever. Our hearts can become fat, listless, even in the Culture of Christianity. Our eyes dull, our ears loose sensitivity, even with things that are wrapped in a "spiritual" package. But to turn to God, to see Him and hear that voice should be the foundation of your desire. There is no waiting involved to experience the New Kingdom, to wait is to doubt and bleed out your faith.

Lord turn us now from the distraction in the physical. Open our eyes! Heal our ears! Let our hearts understand the truth. We see the world and hear it, see that it creeps into our lives in the guise of religious practices, even doctrine. Free our sticky attachment to such things, and let us turn to you, and find healing. To all the saints I cry "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Eternal King! His name is Glorified forevermore!"

That I Could Speak

I am in the place of want, the time of searching, digging for life giving water. It comes to pass as we endeavor to walk on the perfect path, that we reach places where the Lord is hidden. We need more faith, a greater vision in order to proceed. I sense that around me. Dissatisfied with those I talk to, cringing at my own words, longing for the outporing measure to bath me. In this place I have been reading a few passages that are so incredible, so rich, that it is hard to put into words. This is my feeble attempt at one such passage, the sixth section of Isaiah.

In this Isaiah has an experience of God which we can find eye opening as well. He sees the Lord, High and lifted up in the temple, with the Lord's train, a sign of His Glory, filling the temple. Above the Lord stood the Seraph with their six wings. One set covers the eyes, one set covering the feet, and one set to fly with. How amazing is that! The root for their name, Seraph, implies a continuous fiery state, a constant burning. In the Mosaic law (a picture of the spiritual reality), there was a commandment to the priests, "Fire shall be kept burning upon the altar continually; it shall not go out." Yet in the real presence of God, in the throne room, the true temple itself, even the beings are brightly burning, reflecting the Glorious nature of the King. They are as the living flame proceeding from the Eternal.

Now these angels, messengers of God, were calling out to each other, "Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." I found it utterly wonderful beyond measure that these servants of God, agents of the High King, who are not as man, who exist for the sole purpose of performing tasks for God, are calling out to each other, proclaiming to each other the nature of God! They were not bowing down as subservient minions to some overlord. Though not possesing the free will given to man, in their very nature was a reflection of the perfection of the King. They cried out to each other the nature of God! All of creation proclaims the Glory of God, all things in the New Kingdom have at their core this essence. The life burning within you will cry out to your brothers and sisters, proclaiming the Glory of the Lord!

Isaiah felt the foundations of the thresholds shaking at the sound of him who cried. The doorways, the barriers between the presence of God and the outside world reverberate at the voice proclamation. How amazing is that! When that life in you speaks out, it can be seen and felt at the boundary between this world and the New Kingdom. When the Glory is proclaimed within the Body, cried out among the members, the world can not help but notice. The doorway to the Kingdom becomes visible to the physical realm. Jesus is the way through that door, his blood is on the post, he beckons to all, "Enter!" He is the cornerstone, the root of the foundation. Proclaim "Holy is the Eternal King!" Let the power be seen in our age and comunities.

Isaiah saw then the whole house filled with smoke, the presence of the High King was there. It is the mist, in the smoke, we find the prophetic image, the physical manifestation of God's presence in this realm. Have you sensed it? A ethereal thickening of the air perhaps when you worship? While praising God once, my eyes were closed, but I saw the room around me, and the tops of the walls were gone, along with the ceiling. It was very bright, and it seemed like a cloud poured into the room. All of my muscles felt a bit trembly. Glory to the Ruler of the Universe!

Now at this point in the scripture, there is a reflection, a awareness on the part of Isaiah. Consider that he has now seen God, viewed the High King, heard the voices in heaven proclaiming the Glory of God. We need to have our own vision of God, we need to see Him to grow, to live, to become useful to Him. It should be a desire unquenchable by religion, impossible to satisfy by any practice of man. If you have not this desire, earnestly seek God for it, ask for the faith that calls out for more! The vision is not born of man, or mans constructions. Can not be found by reason, study, or works. It comes by faith, believing in Christ, and His unlimited ability. If you doubt, or feel like your faith is small and weak, do not despair! God is the source of our faith, He can create in you active faith, sufficient for your journey. Just ask for more.

For Isaiah, this vision exposes the fallen state of man. He is undone! He is laid low by the vision. A man of unclean lips dwelling in the midst of a people with unclean lips. He sees the King, and hears the perfect proclamation of God's Glory, and realizes no word of man comes close. All that he speaks is tainted from his heart. Out of the heart the mouth speaks, and what proceeded from the lips was not clean.

Isaiah is pushed outside of himself by this vision. We can know this as he sees himself, and the people he lives with. He has a heart for the people of Israel, and in seeing the King of Kings, grasps the fallen state of those people as well as himself. This is so critical as one who lives for Christ, and follows the path of faith. Seeing the Lord, gaining a vision of Him, exposes that which does not measure up. These are the things to be transformed! Both in ourselves and in our brothers and sisters! And when we see Him, when we are exposed to that light, that continuous burning, it pushes us outside of our selves, outside of the selfish realm, the self centered daily existence. We become aware of the need in the body, and in ourselves, of transformation.

One of the Seraph selected a coal from the altar with tongs, and holding it in hand, brought it and touched Isaiah's lips. "Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin forgiven." Oh amazing Eternal! How far beyond anything we can imagine is our Lord! The altar was alight! A sacrifice to be offered! Yet not from man! This was God Himself, making the sacrifice for Isaiah! And his iniquity taken away, his sin forgiven. Can you grasps this? Encompass the majesty of the Living God? His plan for eternity permeates the vision!

Oh how we need to have the burning coal touch our lips. The very source of fire at the altar before God. We need to have the burning word come forth. That our words would be the Word. That what proceeds from our heart would be the very voice of Jesus. There is great faith in this vision. Great transformation. Isaiah heard God, "Whom shall I send?" And from the place of being undone, from being laid completely low, to absolution through the sacrifice of God, Isaiah now steps out in faith and says "Here I am Lord, send me!"

The vision exposed him. He was transformed by God, by believing the Lord. And then exercised active faith. He stepped out automatically. The life in Isaiah responded to God's call. You want to serve God? If you are a Christian, it is in you somewhere that desire to be of use. Whether buried deep, or consuming you every day, it is there. The craving to be useful to God. The need to let Christ work through you. Here we see how that transformation comes about, by seeing God, by perceiving the King on the throne. And through the fire of sacrifice. By touching that all consuming fire. Let yourself be touched by Him, let yourself be transformed.

Very Practical Body Building Practice

I just read this passage to my girls, and it struck me in such a wonderful way. It is the story of Abraham's servant whom he sent to find a wife for his son Isaac. Now, we will consider two people in this story. The servant and Rebekah. You may be in the place of either one right now, or a bit of both.

First consider the servant, who has been tasked with traveling to a nearby town and procuring a wife for his master's son. Now it seems on the surface a simple job, but this is a task fraught with traps. Just imagine, grabbing any old fair maiden, who turns out to be a terrible match. The servants life would be effectively hell ever after. Or finding a perfect princess, yet she refuses to go. Potential failure lurks at every corner.

Do you have something similar? I do, for instance in the raising of my daughters. Sometimes I cringe at every decision, thinking "Will this screw them up forever?" Perhaps you are facing choices, about a new job, what to study in school, or more import matters even. The most important choices we make in our lives involve our part in the ministry of Christ. Acting without faith, or in indecision and confusion, can have very detrimental consequences. There are no excuses like, "We are all human." and "Nobodies perfect..." You either act in faith, and Christ moves, life flows from you, or you fall flat.

Fortunately, we have the Grace of God to cover us, and many, many times I have needed it in large measure. But the danger is always there. You are dealing with life itself, eternal salvation. Mistakes are forever. This is where we need to be molded, shaped in such away that we are usefull to God. And the example of Abraham's servant is perfect.

Think of it, his task is to build the family. This will be the lineage of Christ. This is the lineage of Kings. There is no more important choice on Earth at that moment than finding Rebekah. He may not feel that epoch changing pressure, but certainly there is pressure enough. Anxiety, doubt, all these things gnawing at the edges. That is the state of the servant.

We should experience some of that state, some of that wavering, presure, anxiety. Think of it, building the Body of Christ now has even greater consequence. The servant was building the physical picture, God's map and plan of what he would do in the future. We are tasked with the construction of the spiritual reality! We should be pushed beyond our comfort zones and completely consumed with finding God's guidance in that task.

If you don't feel any presure, if you have no lingering aprehension, it likely you are outside of God's plan. Dig deeper till you find the fear of the Lord. He wants us to seek more of Him, to not be satisfied with where we are. We need to be hungry for more, and when you have that hunger, it leads to new experiences.

The sense I get when I read about the servant is that he completely yielded. He gave his anxiety up, gave up his worry, and simply asked God for confirmation. And it was active faith! He didn't say "OK God, I am here, speak to me what you will do." He laid out a reasonable scenario that God could use to show him which of the women coming to the well would be God's choice. And then he went to the well! There is the bigest key, he went to the well to find the answer. Near the source of physical life, the picture of God's supply, he found the answer. We need to do the same! It is so simple, tell God what will convince you, and then go to the well!

This doesn't mean you are testing God. It is active faith, the waling out of what you believe. And the answer comes when we get near the source of life. Hanging out at the well, looking for life. Looking for a brother or sister to give us a drink, to give us an answer. That is God's practical plan for getting the work done. It is so simple, yet He used this model, this picture, for one of the most important choices of the age!

Now, what about Rebekah? Well, for me, she is that place where you do not know what God intends for your life. You know you can't do amazing things with your own strength, with your own choices. Have you ever tried to build up the body of Christ with some plan or another? You can't make it happen. You can't organize enough, fill the pews, hold rallies, pass out fliers, the list goes on with these activities. Now, when led of the Spirit, any activity will be fruitful. But applying your own energy, leads to frustration and burnout, with no spiritual construction.

That is fine. Do what Rebekah did. What path is that you ask? Well, she went to the well faithfully, for her family. You can do that! Get a little bit of Christ each day, and share it with your brothers and sisters. What else did Rebekah practice that was crucial? She willingly provided life plus a little extra (for the camels) to a stranger in need. It was automatic for her. She did this as a matter of daily practice, just getting a little bit of life, and if she saw a need, getting a little more life to meet that need.

She had no path of great ministry, did not hear a exceptional word about being the mother of kingdoms. We are in the same place sometimes, not knowing what to do specifically. Not having recognized the gifts in us. Confused and wondering whether God will use us. But know this, He is faithful! If you don't know your path in the building of the eternal body, if you feel useless, here is your answer. Get to the well! It may seem trivial, it may seem silly. But if you make as your number one goal in your Christian walk the providing of life to others, God will groom you, and use you mightily one day.

That doesn't mean anything complicated. Just find a little bit of life every day, each hour, sometimes constantly, and put it in your vessel. Then take it home, or to work, or to a friends house, and give out a sip or two. I am not talking about hammering people with bible verses right and left. Not talking about buying everybody dinner Wednesday night. Those things are fine, and if you are led by the Spirit to do it, by all means. What I mean is get with God a little bit in the morning. Pray a bit, ask for a measure of life. Then seek God in the simple things as you go about your day. Maybe worship Him for a few minutes at lunch, and seek a bit more life.

Go on like this, and make it your routine. Give out that life when you see the need. Comfort someone. Listen to a friend's problem. Be ready to give a ride, make a meal, stop an argument. Simple things we all face during the day, yet bring your supply of life to those things. No need for holier than thou condemnation or long counseling discourses. Just being there with a supply of life and being willing to step out in faith in the simple things is the path of Rebekah. It is very easy to do, yet hard to do consistently. That is the challenge. And it is one you can work at. We need to drink ourselves anyhow, so when you sense you are a bit dry, and have not turned to God for a while, know that you have not been on this path. After a few months of recognizing this simple, yet challenging walk, you will become sensitive to the life you are carrying, and automatically go to the well when you run dry.

Can you see your life with Christ in these two examples? I can in so many areas. Oh how strongly I want to speak the Living Word! Yet often I open my mouth and I have to stop, I know it is off somehow. I feel like Abrahams servant in that. When I get a drink of life at the well from my brother or sister, all the sudden it seems like the word flows from my lips. I am in awe of God's faithfulness and Glory!

Other times I feel so restrained, like I'm going to shrivel up if I can't do something to build the body, to be useful. That is when the daily path to the well is so important. We can't be looking for the big opportunities only, the dramatic moving of the Spirit, and not find the simple daily life supply. With out the daily working of life within us, we will not see the majestic events of our day, and not be prepared for the blinding light when massive spiritual events happen. The overwhelming transformation that occurs when God moves mightily requires stable, believing hearts, otherwise you will not be able to accept it.

In the story, both were amazed at the Glory of the Eternal. The servant fell down and worshiped God more than once. And Rebekah responded to God's new challenge for her within one day (perhaps instantly!), and went off to a place in God's eternal plan. How incredible is that? Two simple situations that we find ourselves, times in our lives, decisions to be made. And the core answer to each is to get to the well. Get to the source of life. Find that river of life that flows from the throne. Amazing, I am in awe at the majesty of our King!

Thoughts on Christian Delusion

That title may be a harsh to some. Others will interpret it to mean Christians are delusional. Well, they are. But it is not about Jesus as the Messiah. It is not about the redemption, the sacrifice for our transgressions. No, it is about the subtle line between fiction and faith. Delusion is one of the greatest enemies of the Christian walk, but hard to identify. Does this sound confusing? I hope to make clear this matter.

What do we mean using the term delusion? The definition as per the Oxford English Dictionary:

an idiosyncratic belief or impression maintained despite being contradicted by reality or rational argument, typically as a symptom of mental disorder

It is funny how many times I have been called mental for believing in Christ. But, here is where things diverge between the realm of faith and mentalities based upon imagination. My belief in Christ is based on faith in something that is unprovable, but functional and life changing. God has created it to be this way, unprovable.

Unprovable? But there are so many Christians who have devoted their lives to archeology, anthropology, hard science even, in the pursuit of proving this or that about Christ. I have nothing against such pursuits, yet to expect there to be proof somewhere, hidden, waiting for just the right moment, is a gross misunderstanding of the New Kingdom. You access God by faith. Faith is given to you by God. He reached into your soul, dug down underneath your consciousness, and deposited something eternal there. Accepting that gift, acting upon that faith, that brought you to Christ, not some demostration or proof.

Faith is the key, unlocking the door, clearing the mist away from the path that leads into the New Kingdom. It was designed to thwart proof. It can not be found by reason, by intelect. Science will not prove it true. History will not reveal proof. It is the perfect filter. Man can not create it, find it on his own, or even discover the source without God moving first.

The spiritual reality of the New Kingdom is for us to explore and grow into it by faith. It is pure delusion that you will prove its existence in this world by any pursuit of man. I find it humorous that there is no rational argument supporting the spiritual reality, yet Christians try to reason and convince the natural realm about something that is separated from it by God in the first place.

What can we say practically about protecting ourselves from spiritual delusion? First and foremost, God is not out to deceive us, trick us, or generally befuddle in any way. There are grand mysteries we may never know, and small wonders to be found each day. In all things though, God is just and true.

So when it comes to the physical, temporal universe, why do we ignore what is plainly visible? This will be very hard for some to accept. And I intend not to step on anyones doctrine or beliefs. But please get serious about realizing from where God intends to build you into the Body of Christ. It is not subject to this age, this Earth. The body is firmly established on the revelation of Christ as conquering death and seated on the throne. The true fulfilment of the law. The perfect sacrifice for all time.

You and your brothers and sisters are physically constrained, yes. And being practically built together means living and meeting in your community. You can not have a weaving of faith without daily contact. But the building is between Christ in you and Christ in the Saints in your life. It is a flow of eternal life between you, the source of which is not constrained to this age, or your physical location.

There is a glorious passage I want to extract a bit from in this discusion. It is the last part of Isaiah. The first thing declared by God in this passage is that "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool..." Isn't it your greatest desire to dwell in the throne-room? You can do that right now, by the blood. You can access the throne, get at the source of life right now. That will change you life forever. You will never be the same. But what about the footstool?

Yes, God impacts the earth, the physical realm, the temporal age. But is it where He intends to establish something? No, He already rules this realm. And has separated a better place, a place where time does not run its course, death does not hold sway. That is the location we have access to. Why do Christian hold to this realm so tightly? Why do we feel the need to validate our spiritual experience in the physical realm?

Don't get me wrong. Our natural bodies exist on this footstool. Our decision, choices to find life or reject it happen in this age. We are subject to death. Yet through faith are free of those bounds. We should impact this earth. The will of God is worked out through the Body of Christ. That Body stands upon the earth, walks among men, doing works that are not of this world.

We should expect to see miracles, healings, prophesies. We should impact politics, medicine, science, economics. We should be wealthy, a source for others. Christians should explore creation, history, mankind. But in those pursuits, we need to find life. If you find knowledge, yet have no life, you are wasting your time, and not growing spiritually.

Now, there are a few doctrines, common Christian beliefs, that are so obviously ready for the dustbin of history it is almost silly, except so many believe in them. If you think man has not progressed in knowledge and understanding of this glorious creation beyond some Victorian era interpretations of Genesis, you are living in delusion. I will give one example, just to make a point, but please understand that God is the source of life, and not of contention. I am not here to create dissention, so I will limit this to one obvious physical example.

The example is light. It falls upon us from the Sun and Moon. It also comes from stars in our vicinity. And with a little help from a telescope, you can see distant galaxies as well. It is easy to demonstrate the speed of light. Hence it is simple to calculate how long it has been since that light was generated at those distant galaxies. Think billions of years. God is not out to deceive us. That is not His nature, He is not the God of deception. So you can see with your own eyes, every night, that the universe is very old.

This is simply proof of the amazing physical realm, and proof of God's infinite wonder and ability. It is not incongruent with Scripture. It is in direct contention with delusional doctrine in parts of Christianity. If I have offended you, or created a stumbling block between us as fellow drinkers of the River of Life, please forgive. I needed to make this point that even among obvious physical things, Christians can hold delusional concepts close. What is more important is the hearts of man. No, the real fight against delusion is not about what brand of creationism, theories of evolution, or any number of topics rooted in the physical, social, or historical realm.

The real fight is for the heart of man. The real battle is to hear the voice of God. Returning to Isaiah, we find God saying about those who turned from Him:

I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear

This is the true trap of delusions. If we are not hearing God, there are plenty of doctrines and practices out there, some completely interwoven into cultural Christianity, that will encompass us. Delusions arise when we ignore that voice, when it becomes tuned out.

Hearing God is the key, the answer against delusion. Finding that voice. Not the voice of man, and man's interpretation of life, or the bible for that matter. No, we need to hear the living word of God, the voice He is speaking now. How do we find it? There is a simple progression. First receive the Spirit of God into your heart and be immersed in that Spirit. If you don't have it, or can't sense it, call out to Jesus with every fiber in your being to recieve the Spirit. Once the Spirit is flowing, let God begin the process of building you together with the Saints. When the faith that He has placed in us is bound together with the faith of those around us, our friends, our brothers and sisters, then the word begins to resound.

The living word flows in the Body of Christ. It is spoken forth into the world from the body. The anointed word, the word with power, the life changing word comes from the body. You want to hear God? Really hear His voice? Get bound together. Practice the body and it will happen. You will hear the living word of God. You will speak it as well.

All other things fall away. All the various practices, all manner of religion. The living word is not tied to doctrine or mythology. It is the life changing flame that proceeds from Jesus mouth. When you hear it you are changed. Nothing else is important.

I say these things in all humility. Clearly I have things in my mind, things I have observed and believe to be true, yet are not. How can we be alive and not experience that state? Are we omnipotent? Can we come close to grasping the eternal truth? No, it is infinite. And I know not the fullness of the Body of Christ. I have not experienced all that I know is possible, and certainly God has even more than that what I could even imagine available for us. But it is clear the path to get there.

Yet there are beliefs and practices, even among those Christians we would think on that path, that prevent the building together of the body. I could list what I believe to be delusional stumbling blocks prevalent in the modern Christian movement, but I don't see any life by doing that. What I would encourage, to myself as well, is to ask God to connect us. Reveal the interwoven faith. Grant us to hear the word and believe. Hearing this, you should evaluate where you are as a Christian.

Do you live to see the functioning Body of Christ? Or do you live for yourself? Can you answer honestly? Are you willing to grow spiritually? Even if it means great travail and painful experiences? Dig deep into your heart, bare yourself before God. He is faithful, and will respond. The other part of the introduction in Isaiah is:

but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.

When He looks to us, He will lead us from any delusions. Proclaim to God your desire for body life. And if you can't sense that desire, be honest with God, fall donw before Him and proclaim your willingness to listen and change.

We can reason. We can live. But we must have the spiritual reality of the New Kingdom, the body life, the living word, or we will fall into delusions. Get connected, live in the body. This is by far the most important practice of your Christian existence. Find the source of life in your brothers and sisters. Nothing will stand against that interconnected faith. There is no delusion in that spiritual reality.

The Set Appart Man

The Israelites did not obey God. They did not live up to the covenant. We know that it is impossible to do without the life God provides, and they turned away from that life. Many times throughout history this happened, and was recorded as a picture for us. Take the time when they were delivered into the hands of the Philistines for a generation (forty years in this case). Given over to the flesh, the natural desires, the idolaters. During this time a angel appeared to Manoah's wife who was barren, and informed her that she would bring forth a son, and he would be a Nazirite. (If you do not recall the story of Samson, perhaps read it now before proceeding, it begins in Judges 13)

Now, being a Nazirite in essence means you are one set appart for God. In that time, God's boundary for separation, His word, was that no razor would touch Samson's head, he would drink no wine, touch or eat any unclean thing. Now, don't be confused by that which is physical and that which is a picture. You and I are to be Nazirites as well. We are separated from the world and bound together in faith. But the sign of that consecration is not long hair or abstinence. The sign is the Spirit that dwells within you, and your imersion and life in that Spirit. It is in the drinking of the new wine, the eating of the eternal fruit, the permeation of your soul with the overflowing fountain that the sign of our separation is evident.

Why is it this way? Well, lets return to Samson for a bit. He was strengthened by the Spirit and wreaked havoc upon the Philistines. He was conquering the natural man. Overcoming the fleshly desires, the abhorrent practices. The end result of that path would be the overthrowing of Philistine rule. Freedom for the Israelites. Yet what did his brethren do?

And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines.

They went for appeasement, they continued in fear and rejected God.

Of course this is a picture of Jesus. He performed miracles. He had mastery over evil spirits, sickness, blindness. He was conquering the "Philistines", i.e. overcoming the broken nature of man. The proof was in His work, He was on a path to overcome death itself. And yet, the religious leaders of the day, the leaders of Israel, delivered Him over to execution.

Jesus is the true Nazirite. He was set appart from the world, one with the Father. He drank wine, probably cut His hair, ate with harlots, touched the unclean sick, yet was perfectly set appart. Perfectly consecrated unto God by the Spirit.

Samson could not fulfill his promise. He was a man, imperfect, flawed. He fell not when his hair was cut, but when he decided to listen to a voice other than God. He consciously or not, wanted to find out for himself. The result was the loss of his strength. Gone. His vision was taken away, he became blind. The eyes of the spirit go dark when we listen to the flesh, the natural desires. We can not see the Glory, we can not see the Body of Christ if our heart is turned to the Philistine temptress.

In the end Samson turned his heart back to God. He was willing to forgo his own life to destroy the Philistines. It is quoted thus:

And he bowed himself with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon all the people that were therein. So the dead that he slew at his death were more than they that he slew in his life.

He overcame more of the flesh in death than his struggle while alive.

Our beloved Savior conquered the flesh totally. The end of all natural desire is death. None can escape it. Yet Christ overcame death. He died, and rose again. Not only that, but in the establishment of the New Kingdom, the eternal government, He destroyed the old house, and all the lords and people within. Yes, Jesus overcame the natural man completely, and created a path for all to do the same. Consequently, He removed the old house, and the rulers of that house.

Consider the picture. Israel was ruled by those same lords Samson destroyed. Israel was controled by that Philistine house. The people were given over to their own desires, and did not desire God. When Christ proclaimed that not a stone should be left upon another, 'within this generation', He was indicating the destruction of the old system, ruled by men who had turned from God and were enslaved by the natural desires. They were not free of Roman rule either.

Christ bowed Himself with all His might, and shook the foundations of the house. He yielded up His life as the perfect sacrifice, so that we could attain the source of eternal life, so we could break free of death. And in that shaking, in that bowing down, the house was destroyed. Jerusalem was erased. Burnt and destroyed. The heart of Judaism was ripped out and crushed. God moved on. Opened the doors to a greater kingdom, a greater nation. One that will never turn away from Him.

This is a nation of Nazirites, all are set appart for God. And that separation comes from the Spirit. It is a product of the life Christ provides to us. Separation happens as we get more of Jesus in us. As we find that fountain inside our mind, our heart, we are thrust into the New Kingdom. Separated from this temporal finite existence. And we become strong. The power flows in the collection of believers who are bound together in faith, separated in their hearts and spirits from the world. Unencumbered by the flesh, the natural desires. Christ moves powerfully in that body, doing things more miraculous that Samson's feats, performing works beyond our imagination.

The Body of Christ is that Nazirite, the one with God's strength. The slayer of the Philistine enemy today. And you will find that power by finding the source of life. You will become attached to the eternally set apart man, Christ our King. You will live the consecrated life. Just get ahold of that life, it should be your desparate wish.

Histories Greatest Figure

I have often considered what you or I could do, in our lives, to become immortal. I find that eternity is a long time. When you die, even if you are rich and famous now, you will be quickly forgoten. "Now" is for the living. The present is about those who can choose, who can respond. It has little to do with those who have gone before. Granted, we exist in a world built on the accomplishments of man. Mankind has prospered, flourished, expanded across the globe. There does not appear to be any barrier for us to progress even further.

Imagine in the time of Christ, washing yourself in a pool with others in your neighborhood. Washing with oil, then scraping it off. There was no soap. The decadent middle class did not have showers or private tubs. You relieved yourself in a bucket, or at the public toilet, were there was no stall, and no toilet paper or bidet. Just a state of the art sponge, that everyone rinsed out when they were done, hopefully. Your clothes would be cleaned with cleaner derived from the collected urine around town. If you lived in a city. No Tide with bleach.

And Jesus grew up in the country. In a town with few of those modern conveniences mentioned above. Perhaps less than 500 people, where everyone knew each other. Most were probably related. Hard to imagine the difference in lifestyle. More people live on my block than in the hometown of Jesus. No band-aides, no disposable diapers, no trash bags. And worst of all, no ESPRESSO! He couldn't pop down to Starbucks with his cousin for a cuppa... I don't know if I could make it.

Now, I was raised in some harsh climes. And some of my family enjoyed roughing it. I can see living off the land, bathing in a stream, no electricity, no phone, no entertainment. Done it, for extended periods of time. I don't even have a problem with the education of Jesus. The Synagogue was community center, school, hospital and many other things. It would be like a one room schoolhouse, with perhaps forty children of school age in town. Easy to envision them learning to read and write the scriptures. However, it would most likely be just the little boys, and not organized education as we think of it.

No, these things do not impact my faith. However, there is something here that does. Jesus is the most influential man who every walked among us. And think of how incredibly improbable it is. Empires have come and gone, some with barely a trace. Untold number of heros gave up their lives for others, in warfare, through persecution, in faith even. Yet we think little of them. Rich men, Ceasars, Emperors, Kings, Generals, any figure you choose. Along with those there are untold others who have no record of their existence. And yet here is a peasant, from a small town in a small country who died under persecution from a rather minor religion of the time. Amazingly, this man impacts history beyond anyone else.

Even more incredible, that impact hapens in the course of a few years. Less time than it takes to get a undergraduate degree today. And he didn't even attempt to travel the Roman Empire. Simply ministered to the Hebrews in a small geographic region.

Think of any parallel today. It would be like a garage band traveling around a state playing clubs and fairs. No, even that is more exposure than Jesus would have had. The regional population was unlikely to have exceeded a couple million persons, and certainly adding up all the areas He ministered in would be far fewer people. And all exposure was by direct contact or word of mouth. No radio ads, billboards, television announcements.

Take the Beatles phenominon as a parallel. Massive exposure globally, yet they have faded away already, within one generation. Give it two, three generations and they will be a historical blip, no movement, no followers, certainly nothing near the self proclaimed "bigger than Jesus" in impact. And that is with everything modern culture could muster. Jesus did it with works on the other hand, among a small group. Beyond improbable, it is the closest thing to proof there is.

Why do I mention these rambling thoughts? How is it relevant to "Histories Greatest Figure"? Well, we have almost nothing about Jesus practical life. The record preserved through time, namely the texts of the New Testament, have no focus on Jesus the private individual man. I trust the Spirit of God, by whom real wisdom comes, and by which we interpret the texts. That same Spirit I believe, led men to select these text, preserve them, copy them, cherish and study them. Hence, if somehow it was vitally important to your faith in God to know about Jesus activities as say, a teenager, it would likely be in the text.

Have you pondered perhaps when He became self aware? Yes, he was a true human being. Born of flesh. A baby, that grew and developed like the rest of us humans. We know that even a two year old can not remember specific things. They are for the most part reacting to environment. The brain does not function yet at a level one would call self aware. But forget two, try six months. They don't even recognize that it is them in the mirror, even when you are holding them. No different with Jesus. Why would it be?

What about puberty, the teen years? The time when He decides for Himself? Not recorded in the Scriptures. Why? Because God became a man. He restricted Himself to this reality, to a finite existence. He took on the yoke of time, the curse of death. He came to fulfill the Law, to be the perfect sacrifice. He followed the Father with perfect obedience, which does not mean what we think. Consider that it is impossible for a toddler to be perfectly obedient. They are not yet self aware. They can not communicate fully, or understand instruction. Jesus was no different, that was part of becoming a man.

Some may speculate that the reason there is no record is to alleviate the questions of divinity, to forgo a believer discounting Jesus words. If one sees the humanity, the similarities, why would they believe He was anything special? But I do not believe such. The matter is one of the Spirit, not of physical experience. Jesus contained a Spirit that was untainted, not the same life which we begin. Fully human, yet there was a life within that led the mind, will, emotions from the start.

And He submitted to God in a practical way to begin His ministry. That is the obedience, the path of the Father. It is not about cleaning your room when you are five. It is not about squishing a bug when you are three. It has nothing to do with staying out late at the Synagogue when you are twelve (He stayed behind in Jerusalem without informing His parents... You would be dialing 911 in today's world...). The true impact is about getting life in the Spirit from God. Jesus went to John the Baptist, submitted to him as a prophet of God, and was baptized. That is the core beginning of the records.

The heavens were opened and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. Now this is transformative. Each of the gospels start with this or that, with Luke having the most backstory (things like the aforementioned story of Jesus in the Synagogue at twelve), but they all launch the descriptive ministry with His baptism. That is when things become different from all other stories, religions, heros, empires and the like. The baptism of the Holy Spirit, the medium by which the living word is written in our hearts.

If there were no texts, no Testaments, nothing but oral tradition, we could easily follow this Son of Man, as the Spirit has permeated believers from the beginning of the movement. There is no supernatural mythos necessary. The bible is amazing, wondrous, and full of possibilities, yet it is just words, printed on a page, made by men. There is nothing sacred about paper, it rots. Ink degrades over time. These thing are physical tools of communication, and nothing more. Even the construction of the Scriptures is in the tongue of man, impossible to separate from societal perception, mythological interpretation, even outright confusion and apparent contradition.

But there is no contradiction in the Spirit. The source of life is here, now. The source of life is for us to choose now. It is our choice, we the living, to become part of the perfect man. Believing in Christ, hearing God, seeing the body is all about the present. Jesus is alive, and building up the church. That is spiritual reality, life reality. It is a eternal building, the record is permanent in the New Kingdom. Books, history, recordings, knowledge, all the tools and trappings of human existence are in the physical realm. These tangibles don't last long.

But the imprinting of the living Body of Christ upon the present, the "now" in time, is continuous. He is always growing, age to age, creating a permanent dwelling that is unimaginable by us. Yet we can experience it. All the Saints gathered together... Can you see the fullness of that? Impossible! Billions of brothers and sisters? What if God intends more? Who can claim to know the end of time?

No, the reason we don't need historical proof is that we have present reality. Physical descriptions of historical practical life obscure the need of the Spirit in our existence now. Do you drive and pray? What about shopping? Do you need the guidance of the Spirit at work? School? In your family? Yes! And these are modern lifestyles! No way I want to petition my local council to set up public restrooms in the Roman style. No way I am going to burn my clothes when they get bodily fluids on them. I have cleanser, I use it. I have disinfectant, I use it. Jesus is alive in the body now. And I am sure that I have spiritual guidance as to the use of bleach, boo-boo cream, airbags, glasses, calculators, light bulbs... whatever you want.

We need to find the living word of God, and that is something that extends far beyond one collection of writings. Absolutely meditate upon the Scriptures. There is so many ways that God reveals Himself in that practice. But He is now! Creating, moving, looking to build believers together. Then moving in, with POWER into the interwoven faiths of those body members. This is why Jesus is the greatest figure in human history, because He is still acting. Creating history in every age. And inviting us to be part of that work right now. Practice the body life and you will see inside the Eternal Kingdom. Be built together and you will be anchored in Eternity.

Eternity, forever, and Man

Even the simple man has desires. What do we profit from those desires? What do you want as a Christian? Are you afraid of failure? I have been pondering lately the question of eternal profit. What can we do to make a difference? Well, in short, nothing. Nothing you can do, will do, or have done will stand before God at the weighing of all things. You aren't good enough, and you can't make yourself good enough. Now, don't get depressed. We have access to the perfect man, and the life force of that man. The molding and shaping, restrictions and constraint all bundled together into one set of genes, which became a baby, that grew into a man.

He walked in the dirt. Ate and drank like you or me. Worked and was paid. Bought food, hung out with friends and family. And then began a public work that would change mankind forever. He was able to receive the payment due man for all of our transgressions against God. He was perfect, a better sacrifice than necessary. Nothing man could do against God couldn't be covered by that man's gift. He gave us the opportunity to share that life. He forged a connection that is unbreakable. Death has no mastery over us. But what about our life now?

Do we go on living as the billions that came before us? What is the result of that? Think of the activities you do on a regular basis. Do you connect, or appreciate the people who made our lives possible? Do you think of Carnot (famous thermodynamicist) each time you reach in the fridge for a glass of milk? Do you ponder Henry Ford as you drive to work? What about the inventor of plastic?

Even more interesting, does history care much about the invention of the toilet? It is rather modern. How about underwear? Also modern. All these things were introduced by people, some great, some not so, yet we are basically oblivious to their contributions. Lets look at a few more examples with greater impact. Do you think of Franklin Roosevelt each day? Once a week? Once a year? A less ambitious man may have isolated the U.S. at a critical point, and we could all be speaking German. It is only three generations ago, with plenty of people who lived through that time, yet the impacts and consciousness are fading fast.

What about George Washington? Obviously we would not be the people we are without the influence of that man. Democracy itself was impacted by him. But who really notices today? We read a bit of history, memorize a few details, then head back to modernity. With that in mind, lets look at your life a bit. Don't get trapped by emotions, just consider the following with numb objectivity. We will return to hope and life, I promise.

Do you know what your great-grandparants did? Do you even know their names? Some do, especially with the new personal genealogy wave. So lets say you do know a bit about them. You and how many others? Ten people? Twenty? Perhaps a few may have 'someone famous' a few generations back. But even if Roosevelt is your great-grandpa, and did amazing things, how many people even notice today? And that is one person out of fourteen that contributed to your DNA. Eight great-grandparents, four grandparents, two parents. All of them at one point or another in their lives intended to do something, be somebody, achieve some goal. Yet they are adrift in time, to be forgotten soon.

Thats right, go back in time a very short while. For perspective, there has been roughly 70 generations since Jesus walked among us in the flesh. Lets go back double your great-grandparents, six generations ago. A bit less than 200 years. One hundred and twenty six people contributed to your natural life from that point in time. How many do you appreciate? Even know? Yet each one struggled at some point, yearning to do something, be somebody. How many are known today? Most have basically disappeared from our world. A faint shadow in time.

What will become of you? Statistically, in six generations it's likely you will have disappeared from the world, just like those 126 people that gave something to you. Does this thought depress you? Motivate you? What can you do to fight against that tide? What can be done to mean something? Can you escape the grasp of time?

Lets get more personal. Have you attempted to make a difference? Do you have a dream that includes impacting the world? One thing you can do is have children. At least your genetic information travels on. Obviously that does not preserve your name in lights. You could write novels, create music, art. If you are talented and hardworking, you may gain some time in the 'collective consciousness', but not much.

"All is vanity...", how true those words. Does this mean it is cruel fate that gave us the desire to be somebody, to want success? Knowing ultimately you have no prospect of achieving it, yet desiring all the same. Is it some twisted quirk of human nature? Man wants to control his destiny. We want to rule to world.

Yet, the results are recorded and forgotten. Even those who reached the pinnacle of success in their day, are just as dead as the most insignificant. Just as forgotten. So what can we do? Can we escape this destiny? I believe there is a way. One man transcended death. God opened a door to life that does not extinguish. The works that Jesus has accomplished are preserved forever in the New Kingdom. If you have that life, and that life works through you, those are the works of Christ, recorded in your spirit, preserved forever in the New Kingdom.

Imagine, even the smallest of acts, a smile for a stranger done in faith, a gift for a friend God prompted you to give, a comfort given unexpectedly, these all are preserved forever, proclaiming the perfect love God has. You may never be remembered in the annals of human history, but history has a end. The New Kingdom is built in a eternal realm. That which is of Christ, that which is accomplished through faith, these things are on display in that Kindom to glorify God.

For a moment consider those 126 people covering six generations that contributed biologically to your existence. We may not know of any, may not remember their names even. But I would guess that some of those had the life of God working in them. I would guess that they have a record, a history, a place in the new Kingdom that will never fade. Even the most recognizable name in modern culture will disappear from this world, yet some of your ancestors have a place in eternity. Your great great great whatever, who lived for God, and is glorifying God before the throne for eternity, has more than the latest movie star or corporate CEO multimillionaire.

We will all die, perhaps tommorrow. And when dead, you are no different than a beast. A piece of dead flesh soon to disappear. You could fight that a bit. Mummification gets you a few thousand years. But a mummy is no different from a rock, inanimate and lifeless. It serves you no purpose, and you have no control over what happens to the 'mummy you'. The Egyptians believed in such preservation, yet mummies by the thousands were burned, chopped up for powders, ripped apart by grave robbers, and various other fates in the nineteenth century. Preserved for a couple thousand years, just to be ground up in to mummy powder and sold in the apothecary shop. I'm not sure that's what they were thinking, but what does it matter? They are just as dead as the next fellow, mummy or not.

What you have right now is a free will. Something the dead don't have. The beasts do not posses. Spiritual messengers marvel at. It is what makes you unique in all the Universe. And right here, right now, you can choose to make a difference. You can impact the world. Choose to get that life in you. Let Christ work through you. Even the small things will be to God's glory forever. And the Lord is magnificent. He can work incredible works through you.

You want even more? Ask God to reveal the inner workings of the Body of Christ. Let Him build you into the functioning body. The power of Christ moves in the functioning body. The faith of each member woven together creates a unstopable force beyond our personal walk. With that vision, you won't care about wether your life made a difference or not, wether you had any meaning, or will be remembered for anything. That vision pushes us into something bigger than one person could ever attain to. No single man can measure up to Christ. But the functioning body is Jesus actively working. And those works, those healings, the eyes opened, the prophesies, the guidance, life help that occurs in the body, these all are worthy of the highest glory. The body works will be proclaimed throughout eternity.

That is worth any price to be a part of. That is the highest success for any individual Christian. To be built together into a dwelling of the Lord. Nothing comes close. And what you gain is infinitely more valuable than any impact upon human history you could imagine for yourself. Do we remember who the king of England was a century ago? No, but you can achieve more than that! You can become greater than kings, generals, artists, writers, great philosophers.

If you were a billionaire, or a famous movie star, it would be infinitely more profitable to give it all and become part of the functioning body of Christ. If you were the pope, the president, a doctor saving hundreds of lives, becoming part of the functioning body of Christ will be more profitable. We don't have to give up our professions. If you are a billionaire or the pope, you can still choose life. God intends us to work in the word, physically impacting our surroundings. Yet the result of your labor outside of faith is nil.

And particularly hard it is for those who are important, who have fame, money, success to become connected in the body. If you control your connections, friends, acquaintances, how can you be available for the body works? This does not mean giving up our practical lives, it just means seeing the vision of Christ, and that He is here. Seeing that He works in the body with power. Finding the connections, being a supply of the life He put in you to the body.

For us who have a personal experience of Christ, we must seek this vision. The world contrives to blind us. Religion especially darkens our sight. Sitting in a pew on Sunday is not practicing the Body of Christ. Putting on suits or robes, burning incense, lighting candles, these are meaningless to the spiritual reality. Practicing the body means getting life from God. Drinking from the River of Life, eating from the Tree of Life. Practicing the body means giving that life to those you are connected to. Pray with friends, get faith to heal the sick, speak out what God reveals to you about those you know, share a bit of wisdom that the Spirit revealed to you. Tell someone about how you got life, and what changed afterwards. Sing together, make joy together, raise up your exaltation born of faith together.

The desire to have meaning, to be somebody, to make a difference, it is a good desire. It comes from God. But we can not achieve it. Christ exceeded every possible achievement of man, nothing else can measure up. No amount of riches, no amount of power accumulated in the short span of our years even gets on the scale. There are heros, and those who have given their lives for us. But none have given us eternal life.

I am not here to judge or weigh the accomplishments or sacrifices of good men. God has led good men to lay down their lives for us. Who can personally attach a value to that? Yet it is nothing. Jesus exceeded beyond any comprehension these acts. The life we now access is capable of satisfying the desire to be somebody, to make a impact. That satisfaction is born of faith. Real faith implanted in you by God that grows into a solid security against the meaningless existence we have in this world.

Exercise your will to choose eternal life. Choose to eat the spiritual food. You can find it easily. Ask God. Tell Him you are hungry for spiritual food. Hungry for more eternal life. We can get it from the body. Tell your friends in the body you are hungry. Ask them for a word, for a thought, for sustenance. By this life we walk in a greater realm. A realm where the works Christ does through you are to God's eternal glory. Never forgotten, they don't fade away. You can shine brighter and brighter. And when connected together in the functioning body, the light is so bright there are no shadows.

You can be somebody. You can make a difference. Your existence can change eternity. And to do it, all you need is the freely available source of life. It flows strongly when you practice the body.

The Eternal Holy Contract

There is a timeline that should be foremost in our minds when we consider the writings in the New Testament. This timeline spans human history. It begins with the first sacrifice. We find that sacrifice in this amazing provision: "And Jehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them." With this the pattern is established, the principal of sacrofice revealed. Also revealed, the eventual clothing we will need will come from the sacrifice God provides.

These skins covered the nakedness of Adam and his wife. However, in the park before eating the forbidden fruit, they walked with God and did not perceive their nakedness. Likewise, God had no problem with their condition. After the fall, they were condemned to perish, and could only walk with God outside of the place where the tree of life grew, and the water of life flowed. But they could still exist, and see God.

This physical deal, one where man offers to God innocent acceptable animal life as a sacrifice, became the core of the Hebrew existence. God would lead them, deliver them from their enemies, provide a land of their own. They would observe the commandments of God, and live by those, loving God and worshipping only Him.

This is the picture in the physical, historical realm of God's real purpose. That purpose is to have man with walk with Him in the park. In the place where the river of life flows. To love God and choose life with Him forever. Now, the old contract, the physical one, led up to the fullness of time when God became a man and walked among us, to bring about the new contract.

Jesus is the contract Himself. He made the offer to those under the old contract of entering into the true kingdom. He displayed the reality of this New Kingdom through works. Likewise He foretold of God wrapping up the old contract once the new was established.

When He was delivered up to the place of execution and died, He signed in blood the new contract. It was the blood that signified the innocent life of the sacrifice, and that blood cleansed all that it touched. Under the old contract, the blood needed to be sprinkled around in a special place. But the new contract established has no physical requirement.

A extreme legalist could argue that the blood from Jesus that touched the dirt, outside the city, nowhere near the temple, means the "Holy Land" is that place, and if you are on some other continent, or planet for that matter, you can't accept the sacrifice. But the purpose in the crucifixion was not to establish a new physical location for man to be in the presence of God. It was to provide a way for man to enter into God's Kingdom completely.

Now, there is a period of time between the signing of the new contract and the tearing up of the old. Furthermore, how would God tear up the old? What would signify that? This is a question that causes much discord among those who hold to one favorite doctrine over another. But we shall refrain from promoting any specific doctrine. Just the simple picture.

Jesus said "As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down." He was speaking of the temple in Jerusalem. The physical place specified in the old contract where God would make His presence known under the conditions of that contract.

Clearly with the new contract there would be a removal of the old, and as a sign of that transition Jesus proclaimed the destruction of the promised location of God's presence under the old. Now, there is no temple standing today. It was destroyed. Regardless of how or when, the act occurred. This is a fundamental fact.

As a side issue, generally with the establishment of the promised King, a new temple would be built. A place of worship, of wonder, where God revealed his presence. In physical picture this event actually happened under the old contract. Arguably more than once. But in reality this occurred after the execution of Jesus. He "raised it up" after three days. The new temple is the magnificent Body of Christ. It is a living temple, a permanent fixture that can never be destroyed.

So we have a period of time when the old temple remained standing, but the new temple was already founded. Imagine the pressures and questions of a believer during this time. Jesus prophesy of the physical temple's destruction would have been ridiculed by Jews, as it had not happened yet. And believers would have been anxiously waiting for that judgment to be handed down. This would have been a huge divisive issue between those who believed in Christ and the Jews.

This time period would have been a extremely tumultuous one for the new churches in practicality. Into this context we have the rest of the New Testament. From the beginning of Acts to John's vision, the world was in flux. God had established a New Kingdom, a New Temple, under a new covenant. He had yet to physically fulfill the prophesy, the destruction of the signs of the old contract.

Every part of the texts from Acts on is intimately associated with this context. Every writer would have been fully aware of the coming destruction. Every intended recipient of the texts would have known of the prophesy. Some anxiously awaiting the coming judgment. Others justifying the prophesy with interpretations and new doctrines.

This prophesy would have been latched onto by many as proof or disproof of Jesus as the Messiah. And the temptation of the believer to want judgment! The temple represented the very people who delivered Jesus up for execution! All of these attitudes and perceptions must be forefront in our minds when reading the New Testament. It is crucial to a clear understanding of God's will today.

Why link it to the Eternal Will? Because He is doing the same thing today as then, building the New Kingdom. Filling the New Temple with the righteous Saints. Growing the Body of Christ unto the fullness of all time. These are the deep themes that surround us, motivate us in our faith.

Yet today, many Christians are preoccupied with doctrines and physical things. What do I mean? Well, take the Zionists. They believe that a new physical temple needs to be constructed, then a bunch of other things happen, then the end of the world or whatever. Absolutely outside of God's will! Why? Because he cares not for any particular place. The New Contract has been established, and if you believe in Jesus, you believe in the new contract. If you believe in the new contract, how can you think God acknowledges anything else? Truly believing that Jesus is the Messiah means you believe He fulfilled the old contract. There is no need for anything else, and nothing man can do now will in any way bring the old contract back.

A thousand temples could be constructed, matters not one bit to God if you believe in Jesus! Jesus is the new contract, the new King, the source of eternal life, the eternal temple. If you are looking for something else, some physical signs, some world events that fits your doctrine or interpretation, you have not acknowledged the full establishment of the new contract. This is critical to spiritual growth. Jesus is the Word of God, the new contract. He has established it, and done away with the old. To believe in Jesus, yet not live in the provisions of the new contract, all the while waiting for world events to 'prove' some doctrine or other is a spiritual conflict that will hinder your growth.

I believe that the New Testament is a unique collection of writings. There could be many other writings, many other texts. Yet the Spirit led men to accept these as beneficial to the believer, fundamentally containing spiritual content. Why are there no accounts of the fulfillment of Jesus prophesy? Why are we 'left hanging' so to speak? It is a function of time, context, and spiritual reality. The fulfillment of the prophesy, the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem was obvious. There was no need to have proof after the fact. We should be the same. Do you need proof of the new contracts validity? Do you question the tearing up of the old contract? The believer who walks in the spiritual reality of the New Kingdom needs no sign to prove the dissolution of the old contract. The experience of worshipping in the New Temple is proof in and of itself.

These questions strike at the heart of believing in Jesus as the Messiah. If you believe He was the Messiah, you must understand what that means. The Messiah was the savior of the Hebrew, the fortold deliverer. The one to come and fulfill the promises God made to His people. He did that, by fulfilling the law, by being the perfect sacrifice. Once that act occurred, the old contract was completed. Over, ended, finished, no longer operational. There is no physical temple that can be built that God will inhabit anymore, if you believe in Jesus.

Furthermore, if you are somehow waiting to enter the Kingdom, waiting for the Son of Man to come, waiting for God to come and take you away, you do not truly believe Jesus words. You can enter the Kingdom NOW! Don't wait for Him, go to Him right now and ask for vision. The new contract is established, ready for each of us to partake in. There is no need to fixate on the old, or be confused about interpretations of biblical prophesy. If you walk in the spiritual reality of the New Kingdom, you will not have any desire for speculation about the fate of the world of man.

Now, there will be a day of judgment, a end to all things. How about in a couple billion years? Why not? And for God, who sees the beginning and end of the universe, that day is today. Yet it is foolish men who want to know and see God's judgment of the world, usually based on what man thinks is correct and just. Man wants to be part of the picture, part of something bigger than himself. Many modern apocalyptic doctrines are just that, fantasies of man to delude themselves into being part of something big, something monumental. Yet even in their grandest fantasies, with plagues and curses, Antichrists and temples, they come nowhere near the reality of the New Kingdom.

Experiencing the New Kingdom is beyond man's imagination. And it is available now, not some perpetually re-postdated rapture of man's imagination. God desires us to walk with Him, where He is, forever in His presence. And the door is open for anyone to enter. Doing this, and understanding that the reality signifies the completion of the old contract, will open your eyes to see God in a fuller way. You will want to read the texts all over again with this vision.

Keep the timeline in mind, God interacted with the Hebrews based on the old contract, which was a picture of the full reality to come when Christ appeared. The new way was established by Jesus, and the old contract was fulfilled and torn up. The proof of God's judgment upon those who rejected the new contract and grasped onto the void old contract was the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. This happened within a generation.

Since that time, nearly seventy generations have passed. In each generation there have been those proclaiming the end of the world. There have been many Christians who have believed in doctrines which we would instantly see as preposterous. There have been those striving to see the Body of Christ in its fullness, and there have been those who drift away into frozen religiosity. All the while, the faith has grown. The community of believers has perpetuated, increased. Time itself reveals God's will to grow the Body of Christ.

If we can see these things clearly, there will be few distractions. With the increased vision of Christ, there is more faith, more impetuous to do the work which will build up that Body. Act on what you see, walk in the new contract, in the living kingdom. It has been established for all, to last for eternity. There is no need to focus on anything else, any other doctrine is just a distraction from the real work.

All thanks to the King of Kings who leads us in the pursuit of His perfect Body. The worship of a simple broken man is insufficient for the King, fill me with perfect worship, worship born of eternal life so I may praise You with praises worthy of the Eternal King.