Love, Truth, and Grace
At the expense of being repetitious, let us look at the differences between these ‘main-stream churches’ and the true Church that God has aligned, even though they may now be called His Remnant, His Church, the called out ones, are alive and well, and are stirring this earth with His Truth. The remnant of Gods’ called out ones seem to hide in the brushes, so-to-speak, behind trees, and sometimes under rocks, for they appear to want little notoriety, and could care-less of what others think of them, but enjoy their relationship, unhindered, with the Father.
Grace is the Gift that is not earned, nor is it strutted, and we cannot ever perform well enough to deserve it, and for those that accept Grace in its fullness, and seeks the desire of the Father, can see, that without it, life would be a laborious and dreadful experience; but Grace is free of any charge and is given to all. Now most have preached that to have Grace you have to join one of the many groups, and then you go through this ritualistic formula, with all the ‘hand-shakes and howdys’, show up at least twice a week, and make sure, by-all-means, to pay your dues so some educated preacher, and his empire, so they can stay in business. We have been led by this conglomerate to believe that their fleshly ways of worship are right, and those that stay away are lost sheep, and therefore, should be looked down upon; this is ridiculous. Nobody has the total answers for what it should be, I certainly don’t, but I have enough God-sense to know what it shouldn’t be; and this man- made invention called ‘church’ is not, nor has it been, the answer to what ails man.
There are more than a few stories in the Bible about sheep, and the association of them is usually about us, so let me ponder a thought that is being revealed. If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them is lost, does he now leave the ninety and nine and look for the one that’s missing? And when he finds it, rejoices over his found sheep, and even sometimes makes a feast?
So if this shepherd possessed a hundred sheep, aren’t every one of them his, or is just the ninety nine that stayed put, his? The answer is that all of them are the shepherd’s, and the one lost is also, and has always been, that is, in the custody and ownership of the shepherd. That being so, why is the lost one counted as a down- cast? Why do we, as the human religious race, look at those that don’t belong to their organization, or one of their sister- organizations, labeled as being a malefactor? This ought not to be so. Just because the shepherd had sheep that strayed, doesn’t he still own the whole herd, even the ones that’s not under his guidance? Then we also, those of us that don’t meet the criteria of these flesh-made worship centers, are still His, thus, we have not strayed farther than the eyes of God can reach; we still belong to the Father just as much as those that stayed. For nothing, not principalities, nor rulers of dark places, nor powers now, or to come, can pluck one of His out of the hand of Jesus; but this is not what we were taught.
If Grace is unmerited favor, and the delicate art of Love, and I believe it is, then why do so many think that they have a hold on God that others just wished they had? It’s about time to be ashamed of ourselves; we are all Gods’ children, we might run away, go to foreign lands, so to speak, but we have never left so far as to lose the wonderful Grace and Love that God bestows upon all; and I really did mean to say ALL. For God so loved the whole world, all the people, that He gave…
The Love, Truth, and Grace of God has been taught wrongly for so long, and because of the longevity of its teachings, and having just the remnant teaching otherwise, most people have bought into this gospel of the separation and condemnation, that many are left believing that God is an angry God; and of course He is not. If God had to separate the ‘good’ from the ‘bad’, where would that leave any of us? We’d all be doomed. Since our Lord is not a respecter of persons, then He sees the ‘good’ folks with as much Love as He does the ones we call ‘bad’. A person can condemn themselves, and I think that’s what these ‘churches’ want us to do, but God condemns no one. For how is it possible to condemn someone you Love dearly?
If I separate myself from all the so-called ‘trash’ of this world, then, have I not separated myself into my own trash pile? To feel superior is one of those ‘church’ things, and the many levels of their hierarchy is well established, but, God sees not the sin, just the child created in His image, that was paid for by the Christ, our Lord Jesus. So why do so many promote that God is bias, and only loves the beautiful, when in fact we all belong to the same category? We are His people, and some call themselves by His name, and most have gone along with the established program, but God loves not those that attend these weekly meetings less than those that don’t; we are all His, and today is the day to accept that fact. This ‘thing called church’ has many times, in past and present, called those that don’t attend their weekly ‘service’ by many inferior names, such as peasants, or even heathens, or just plain lost folks, and I think this is done that there self-righteousness can be strutted among their many peers, thinking they have something that others might want, and then joining others to their club, and therefore giving them what they think they’ve got. This whole system is out-of-whack, and the audacity to preach this word of separation and condemnation will one day be defeated. The system itself will never change, it can’t; it is far too involved into that same tradition, and has been relayed from one generation to the next, that now the blind are truly leading others into the same blindness.
I’ve asked myself, many times, how long can our so-called leaders continue to preach this same ineffective message of the bias of God before they search deeper into themselves to see that our God is the God of reconciliation and Love? And He does have a very effective message for those that have ears to hear, for His Love cannot be dished out to some here or some there, but is sent to all, and expressed thru His Son Jesus, which is then expressed thru many that are also sons. So the answer to this question is; again, it will not change, not as a whole, but many are seeing this old Truth, as if it were a new Truth, and it is being revealed by the few. So when babylon falls, and is revealed, it will probably be in each individual, and the whole will probably not see it. The crumbling of babylon happens as each begins to see thru the façade of this carnal-made religion, and its many self-inflected wounds, and then comes out of her. Moses said to pharaoh; “Let my people go,” and the emancipation of His people had to suffer many years before the ‘old man’ could be purged from them. The addictions from these ‘things’ are strong, and the breaking away can seem dreadful, and painful, but the results could bring a revelation of hope for a dying people.
Prejudice comes in many forms, for we all see thru eyes that have been taught (darkened by man’s ideas), but the separation that many think should be adhered to, is not from our Lord. Now the prejudice that I speak of is not only about races, but also about the pride of those that think themselves in ‘high positions’, those that believe that their time-honored tradition is founded on a trail of truth, but were misled from the beginning of man putting his hand into something that was Gods’; His Church. No wonder God wants us to pray, and seek Him, and turn from this wickedness, that He can heal and forgive us all through that great Love and Grace, for His ears aren’t deaf, and His eyes aren’t blind. So when our ears are unstopped, and the blinders of our eyes are removed, we are then positioned to accept this great Gift that has already been ours in the first place.
Is it possible that times have changed so much since the time of Christ, that it is the ninety and nine that are lost to this Truth, and only the one remains? We are all guilty, and I also can say; the things I should do, I don’t; but the things that I shouldn’t do, those things I do; shame on me, but we’re all still under construction. God didn’t lose any of us, but many have strayed looking for new grounds, being seduced by the same serpent of the mind, thinking we know best, but He truly is willing to leave all just to recover that one that will accept the Truth thru His Love. If we can’t find Him, then those same traditional blinders still remain; for we were never lost from the Love of God, we just thought we were. Like the lost sheep, every one of us are still under His care, some may not have found their way clearly yet, but His eye, and His Love have never left us, no matter what we may have done; or not done. The cost of Grace is nothing but the acceptance of it. The cost of this flesh- made religion, as it stands today, and was also in the days of our Lord, is at a cost too high to pay for those that want truth again for the first time. It’s the natural being, the one that clings to the tree of knowledge that desires to build himself, and the cronies around him, by their abilities and seductive forms, and their many programs, to build a self-serving empire to either look good to others, or satisfy his fleshly mind with the accomplishments of his thoughts. Shame on us for turning to ourselves to find a replacement of God, and it’s all justified on the backs of our forefathers who began this mess.
None of us has a handle on the complete Truth of our Lord, but those that make their living, or even profit from preaching, singing, writing books, or anything else, have a vested interest in pleasing their audience, and therefore have polluted the Gospel for their own benefit; whether they realize it or not. There are stories in scripture about folks that try to buy their way into the graces of God, and there are many that try to sell their own denominational truth for a profit. It saddens me to see so-many so-called preachers stand up and promote their wares, and their compromised gospel, and at the same time have more than a few outrageous luxury cars in the garage of their mansion that was built on the backs of many that are much less wealthy. Decades, even centuries ago, all this was done and accepted until it became part of societies’ mind-set, and many that saw it happening, joined to get in on the ‘gold-mine’. It cost quit-a-bit to get on the radio or television, and some even own the stations, so is it hard to understand how much money is being made?
More than a few are now coming out of the wood-work to expose these charlatans and their exploits, and I’m glad, and for the true sake of the true Gospel my hope is that things will be shaken up.
To take a cruise on a luxury ship and to go to some ‘holy place’, led by some famous leader, has not changed a single life; only Christ can do that. To go the river Jordan to be baptized by a well-known evangelist wearing his patent leather shoes and Rolex watch, while his body guards are standing watch over him, has not changed a single life; only the Spirit of God within can do that.
Jonah was told to go to Nineveh to proclaim the Word of God, but he wanted to go to Tarsus where he thought it would be accepted, and after three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, and then being vomited on the beach not all that far from Nineveh, he walked three and a half days thru the city that was a seven day journey to cross it, and did what God told him to do. Now you talk about an unbelievable cruise, Jonah had one. God can work in ways that man can’t fathom, and this selling of Jesus will one day be brought to a halt. I know it is human nature to want to promote ones’ self, but these promotions of man making these big-bucks, or even a small amount of money, trying to sell the Gospel at the expense of those less fortunate is ridiculous. I’ve always thought that to do a work through Christ would cost a laid-down life, not a vocation. If the Gospel message is all that important, and it is, then why would not that same proclaimer be willing to send forth that message at any expense, and not want to make money from it? The Grace of God covers us all, and I like that, but maybe it’s time to begin depending on God for organization instead of our own brains.
When the internal man, the man within, receives by acceptance, the Love of God and His Truth, then the external man will begin to dwindle away. This process of dwindling doesn’t involve mans’ effort, it is as natural to the inner man, and as simple as breathing; God does all the work, we just sit back and watch it happen. Love, Truth, and Grace belongs to God, and when we receive them, they also belong to us; and when this happens we have no other choice but to go along with the ride, so-to-speak. But when we try to manufacture this process, we only get what so many claim they have; but don’t.
Loving God, the God of all Love, is a privilege that leads to His Way; that leads to His Truth; that leads to His Life. For when Christ said that He is the Way, Truth, and Life, and His statement is very true, then there is no other alternative but Jesus. Those that have it; live it, but those that don’t, seem to fake it; and that’s where the problems began. Knowing about God and His crucified Son Jesus is one thing, but knowing Him intimately is quite different. Again: If my people that are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I shall hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land; (the land within us all).
In earlier chapters, and on several occasions, I said that the Love, Truth, and Grace of God cannot be bought, and it can’t; and when I use the term bought, I mean that it cannot be manufactured, nor can these great gifts be earned; for they are, at least their acceptance, simply received by Him thru faith. Gods’ gifts will not come about because we have prayed right, or sang unto Him well, or preached about Him with eloquence, or swayed our arms to gospel music, or attended services at their regular intervals, but they will come in acceptance by faith. In other words, His gifts are already available to us, and the power of them comes by believing that they are free, and given freely to all. It’s like reaching up to take something off the shelf that is already yours; but you have to reach up and take hold before you can possess it. Therefore, we can see that these gifts are ours, and already has been ours, but to little effect until we, by faith, take hold of this free offering. So, even though we have been taught differently by those that want to keep their congregations, and continually teach that we have to be there among them to show themselves approved, let us understand that we don’t; for this beauty of God is given to all that draw breath, whether we think we deserve it or not; these great Gifts are ours for the taking. For if God so loved the world, and He certainly does, then this true statement by Him, leaves nobody out. Where sin abounds, Grace does more abound; spoken by the Apostle Paul, now comes to a reality to those of us that were taught differently; and this is the beginning of the true Life of His promise.
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