He Is Our Life

Why do we continue to live in the illusion of life apart from Him, when He is our "LIFE"

Why, because we have a choice in the matter. Also, because there are no vacuums, either we will operate out of our union in Him (the Fruitful Vine) or we will be governed by the only other moral being, Satan himself, through our soul. Our soul is going to be governed by someone...Bob Dylan's slow train coming album/// song...You've Got To Serve Somebody.

The Truth is a Person the Living Christ, to the degree we only know 2+2 = whatever (so called right) answer, and not really know Him the Truth, we will operate out of the knowledge of good and evil.
This knowledge has produced an acceptability amongst our fellow human beings. But in fact it is nothing more than a satanic morality, divided into sinful flesh or religious flesh.

There are those who believe that Jesus has a twin brother, his name being Osmosis, so if in fact the Life of the Father is not going to be displayed through us, with us having no say in it, then it will be accomplished by His twin brother Osmosis.

Somehow having the ability to freely choose Life vs death is looked upon by some as being a work we can BOAST in...what a crock!!!

Rich

Cambodia

A brief snipit from the famous author, my daughter.

When I went to the Grove alone I felt I was in a place that was right. School wasn't right, home wasn't right, work wasn't right. This forest was right and it would never brag about it. If a person ever has to tell you he's good and he's right, he probably isn't-like that girl in the sushi bar: she didn't have to say anything-her presence was enough.
Only someone who knows solitutde can tell what perfect company nature is. It's like hanging out with God. Heaven is a forest.

Rich

Saved Yet Being Saved

The following is an excerpt from my friend Art's article, entitled, Saved Yet Being Saved.

Rich


Needing a Renewal in Soul
2 Cor. 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. Even after our initial salvation our soul’s mind, emotions, and will is unchanged, awaiting a process of renewal. This we might say is the second salvation that we refer to in this paper. We all need renewal in our soul, to “be saved by His life,” not just those who may have suffered abuse or made a mess of life, none of us are righteous (Rom 3:23), we are all needy of both kinds of salvations in Christ. If we will be honest we will have to admit that we aren’t much changed after our initial salvation, not for many years, if at all. We all bear the remnants of the old fallen Adamic man and the scars of having lived in a crooked and perverse world. It is our Father’s desire that we should grow up from children of God (Rom 8:16) to become the “sons of God” who walk with Him, being “led by the Spirit” (Rom 8:14). Thankfully, it is God our Father’s work to bring us to that grown up relationship with Him – to trust and yield to Him. Such trust requires a new mindset and the yielded will of our soul.

A Great Article!

Hi,

This is a great online article by James Fowler for those that might be interested.

http://www.christinyou.net/pages/noindependentself.html

Rich

You Talking To Me?

Why is it that the love of the Father is brought into question anytime I need correcting?
I thought the proof of His love for me was in fact His ongoing correction.

Hebrews 12:5 So don't feel sorry for yourselves. Or have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?
My dear child, don't shrug off God's discipline,
but don't be crushed by it either.
7It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?
8But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.
9Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live?
10For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. 11All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

Somehow the lies of our former 'surrogate' father Satan, seem to click in when my Father is bringing correction into my life.
Such as, this correction is really Him rejecting me!
I guess so long as one believes that they have arrived, and are simply putting in time until they get called up, any perceived correction coming from the Father are just lies trying to make me believe He really does not love me.

Rich

How are we saved and continue to be saved, by grace, through faith...

......."God covets the unique features and characteristics of our soul, and yearns to combine them with the beauties of His own person. He does not intend to destroy our personality. Rather, He intends to "conform" it to His own image and fill it with the __expression of His life.God longs to redeem our soul; but the soul is the seat of our independence, pride, and rebellion. Independence finds its assertion through our soul, until we have experienced the work of the Cross and are made aware of our {utter depravity}"*. We are strong in our soul, but this so-called 'strength' is an illusion. It is in actuality anti-Christ. Our souls are the fertile, breeding ground from which grow all things concerned with 'self' - self-reliance, self-awareness, self-concept, self-righteousness, self-esteem, self-worth, self-image, etc., attributes that are in direct opposition to God. "His dealings bring us into extremities which we would rather resist; but in them we come to appreciate the Lord." Only as our souls are broken of the illusion of being in control; only as we come to that crisis, and are thoroughly convinced that "in my flesh dwells no good thing" is there true sobriety.

(*the author originally used the word 'weakness' which is not accurate, in my humble opinion. We have NOTHING to offer the Lord - neither strengths nor weaknesses.
Our soul is hopelessly corrupt, in opposition to God, and needs to be renewed, transformed, quickened by the life of God that exists in our spirit-union.

Rich

By One Spirit

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

That which the Father has accomplished is wonder-full!
The same Seed in all of the rebirthed, and yet one would think that there is a Pentecostal, Charismatic, Baptist, Catholic, Greek Orthodox Jesus. What is this all about anyway?
Without the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit, we will strive for that which is already ours in Him.
The wonder of Him being able to uniquely express His life through each of us, and each displaying flavours and colours of His grace that makes the most beautiful sunset pale in comparrison.
In looking at a sunset, being part of a crowd, I'm sure each person would see their favourite colour, but in fact each is seeing that which is being reflected from the same sun.
No wonder Paul prayed so fervently for the eyes of our heart to be opened (and flooded with light) to "see" the same Jesus in all of the rebirthed.

Rich

Delivered Unto Death For Jesus' Sake

"FOR JESUS’ SAKE" Some thoughts from Cornelius Stam, passed on with some thoughts from Art Licursi

"Delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake" (II Cor. 4:11).There is much that we all do for our own sake, for the sake of our children, our loved ones or others, but the real test of the believer’s love for the Lord is what he does "for Jesus’ sake." One such thing the grace Apostle, Paul, calls us to undertake "for Jesus sake" is the matter of forgiveness of others. Now considering the contrast between dispensations of ... law and ... grace, concerning forgiveness. - LAW: Our Lord, born under the dispensation of the law (Gal 4:4), told His disciples that to be forgiven they must forgive: "Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven" (Luke 6:37), "but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:15). This is law, NOT grace. Anytime we see an "if ye" we now we are seeing law, since grace is unconditional. - GRACE: But now, under the Pauline dispensation of grace of the grace of God (Eph 3:2), Paul exhorts us to forgive one another "even as God for Christ’s sake HATH forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). Consider the striking difference. - Before the cross: If you want to be forgiven, you MUST forgive. - Now, in the light of the cross: You have been graciously forgiven "for Christ’s sake." Paul says, In the light of this "be tenderhearted and forgiving toward others." Thankfully, we as the regenerated children of God are "no longer under the law, but under grace" (Rom 6:14b, 7:4, 10:4, Col 1:26). And we are to go yet farther than this: Not only are we to forgive our brethren in Christ, but we are to be prepared to have this attitude toward the world as well. Paul said: "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all" (I Cor. 9:19), and referring to his persecutions by unbelievers, he said: "We... are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake" (II Cor. 4:11). How many unbelievers would be won to Christ; how many of our Christian friends would be strengthened and helped, if we adopted this attitude toward others? As to suffering itself, the Apostle also gladly bore this "for Jesus’ sake." In writing to the Corinthians, he said: "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong" (II Cor. 12:10). He had learned that in weakness he leaned all the harder, and was brought closer to His Lord, and herein lay his spiritual strength of life.