The Cry That is answered...

 

Sunday Mar 30^th 2025 – Ps 6; 1 Cor 2:19-20; 1 Peter 1:13; Eph 6:17

Hi folks! Blessed Sunday to you all! I continue to share stuff with friends as I work on the text of Jacob’s ladder. These posts are exactly that. You will find what you will.

Psalm 6 embodies the Israelite cry to God, always answered as long as covenant relationship is there. Psalm 6 is not about pie in the sky when you die, but a here and now!

The Psalmist suffers; tradition calls this a prayer for healing from severe illness; it affects mind, body, and soul. Note the ‘languishing; troubled bones, troubled soul; weeping; eye wasting away…’ certainly grievous.

Small clue in the ‘how long’ – will you stay mad at me? Your anger, wrath; don’t chasten me or rebuke me; be gracious to me. Turn and save. Deliver me! For the sake of your steadfast love – the love a Father has for his children. It’s relational. Ignore or destroy the relationship, risk losing the safekeeping of the Father. Know (that word again) your Father loves you and cares for you. He will not ignore you. If this knowing is there, ask. It has a lot to do with the access path you have created as you have chosen. The entire history of Israel is proof of this. Whenever the people cried to God, God answered. From Exodus through to that neat story about Gideon saying but I’m the least of my tribe!

Yet there are no guarantees? God’s answer sometimes is not to answer? Interpretive tradition looks at the loss of David’s 1^st born, post his Bathsheba fling. That might have turned out ok, except that she was with child and David tried to get around it, failed, and so had her husband, Uriah the faithful, killed so he could marry Bathsheba. Common understanding is that it displeased God, who appreciates faithfulness. And the prophet Nathan comes to the King. The story is told; the King demands justice; then discovers ‘you are the man!’ So that scene was set. No more than cause and effect, almost. In taking Bathsheba and getting Uriah killed, David had acted intentionally. Now David cries, fasts, hopes. Nothing.

Is there more to it? Consider, as we go, the Fatherhood of God and the nature of our childhood in the Kingdom. David wanted God to heal the child, but did he ignore his now broken relationship with God, for which he needed to seek healing first? Fix the broken relationship first before you seek healing and forgiveness. Think and pray on it, for we all figure in this. David in Israel’s history is special, there is no other closer to God in relationship. God gives the power to do but also gives the power to be. And the two combine. 

The conclusion has been that if we sin, we suffer the consequences of cause and effect. But maybe sin is not so much as a matter of doing but as one of being in relationship and then separating from it. Fathers do not necessarily seek to punish, as much as to teach. Consequences can vary. In Jesus there is new covenant, new growing edges, new meanings. This is important and we will figure it out as we go.

The Psalmist seems more fortunate. Much suffering. Much waiting. We have no idea for how long. Patience is a virtue in a time of illness. You can’t go anywhere. You steady your mind to motivate your body to heal. Time to log into the mind of Christ. You focus on the healing itself.

The body is a strange thing. A God given vehicle for much earthy and earthly enjoyment when kept finely tuned. Some of us know this, some of us don’t. Behavior can be inconsequential, and we may not age well. We expect MDs to help, but PCP healing ability is limited. Skilled surgeons can help, but the healing itself is your task. Effective medication can help, but you must learn to balance and control it. Body is not meant to be dependent. We get by when it becomes so.

The implications for mind, body and spirit are important. The right nutrition and exercise, the right use of the body. Our school systems don’t teach our children useful essentials, never mind moral judgements. John Wesley once said God help me if I think I’m a better man just because I don’t smoke or drink. That route is indeed too easy. Every talker needs to be a doer of good things or they will not grow.  It is never so much what I don’t do as what I do that can make a positive difference to myself and to others. Bad habits can be replaced by good ones. It just takes time and effort of will. But it is doable.  And when the interface is held in correct tension, we are on our way to the earthly realization of Psalm 8. The body is a prep vehicle, and as needed, can do strange and wonderful things, because God is also in the mix. As we age, we may have to balance the limits, but we can extend new capability, like wisdom and insight.

And the X factor – not just the accord with God, but the inherent power of that accord whose functional level depends on the depth of our consistent walk. The stronger this is, the more capable we are in mind, body and spirit, unbelievably. Must be tested out to realize its truth. Hence the ‘O taste and see that the Lord is good.’ Spiritual growth is work. Self- awareness and self-realization, like the Greek Oracle’s ‘know thyself’. Knowing scripture, testing scripture, for not all of it applies; knowing and listening to the Spirit – the practice of stillness in mind, body and spirit being perhaps most difficult of all, learning and practicing just what human will can do. Then seeing the results. And marveling at them.

So the Psalmist, somewhere around vs 7, erupts into a “Cheers!’ mode. Don’t know what changed, but it has passed. There is recovery. There is healing. There is confirmation of my childhood before God, the Heavenly Father. Healing – be it of mind, body or spirit, is an uplifting restoration, one that God always desires for us.  May it be so always, for each one of you. Every blessing in Jesus. G.

How the Comfort of God Energizes...

 

March 23^rd 2025

This is a special Sunday for us, for our Jay was born some 45 years ago, on a Sunday morning, per K’s answered prayer!

But this week, in the middle of Lent, we look at Psalm 23 and the Good Shepherd section in John 10:1-18.

We looked at Psalm 23 as an essential, earlier in the year in this overview. Its traditional interpretation has focused on aspects of comfort - of being cared for and protected. But what else is there? These aspects are somewhat different in John 10.   

What do ‘green pastures ‘and ‘still waters’ translate into for us? What do the notions of provision and protection mean? It is still a requirement that we need food and water to function and to survive. But they are not all that is necessary. The body needs food, water, and oxygen.  And what nourishes our life-giving spirit itself ie the spirit that leaves us when we die? How is that sustained? Food, water, oxygen and sunshine won’t do it. And even medical science reaches its limits when life is at its end, and we all know this.

We must step out beyond the pastoral imagery of shepherd and sheep and look at new challenges in understanding the depth that scripture offers. And one word of that is: energy – spiritual energy. The creative and sustaining energy of God. This is easily talked about but is often not clearly understood, and we each must discover it in our own way with the Lord. It can only be experienced, and the experience of it flows in sequence following the degree of accord we have with the Lord, as we have willed that accord to be so in our lives. That simple, that hard, but only because it is totally unworldly.

And totally different from the passive sense of ‘let go and let God’, as some like to think. Or of walking in faith. And hope. Like that neat illustration of footprints on the beach. Only one set. God, you left me! No, I didn’t, I carried you. True. But not in that sense. It is the enabling that we seek. The pastoral images are beautiful and will always be relevant, but Jesus’ teaching takes us beyond them. This is why no one preaches on the ‘if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, move! and it would! But that is the true challenge of the life of every Christian. And you only need mustard seed sized faith to get started. This is what Jacob’s Ladder is about. For you to get on, and for you to climb. The world cannot overcome you.

God makes the rain and the sun to shine upon all, equally. God does not discriminate. But all people do not appreciate it. And all do not seek to be godly, so they deny God and deny their given human nature, and the goodness that is offered.  And take on evil instead. The examples are all around you. It was bad in Jesus’ time, it is worse now. But God in Jesus is creator, creating and sustaining. God is everywhere, in everything. And that divine energy is all around us. Ask the Lord’s blessing. God will give. It is all a matter of accord with Jesus. More than singing about it. Living it.  Be a branch. Stay connected to the Vine. Know the true spiritual energy that augments, supplements, strengthens. Put it to work in your life and see the difference.

This Is not about social or socio-political holiness ie political public involvement. It is about each one of us making a difference. Together or alone. It is about personal holiness. It is carrying your protection and your comfort and your safety with you wherever you go and extending it to others as you have opportunity. You need nothing, you give nothing, except of yourself.

Hidden in these words of comfort then, is a great spiritual asset. It is that which is given by the Spirit that converts or transforms comfort into creative energy, so that the loved one that is comforted gains strength and ability to go forward. Taste and see. And the section ends with a reference to paths of righteousness, - the ways that the Lord would have us walk along – for his name’s sake – that our witness to him is always empowered. There is a time to be a sheep, and to enjoy the comfort of the Lord. There is a time to be a shepherd and offer comfort to others, and to be as the Lord wills us to be. And that is never passive. Always purposeful.

The 2^nd section, likewise, has deep implications. It was said a long time ago that fear is the mind killer. That continues to be true. Fear is paralyzing and debilitating. We know this feeling when people we care for are at risk of harm. But the mind of Christ enables us to meet such fear and to continue to function as needed. Again and again in scripture, the phrase is repeated - fear not. Psychology talks about fight or flight responses. Perhaps there is a third. But we must be prepared. Know your weaknesses. Build your strengths. Then face what you must. Knowing that you never walk alone, like the song from the musical movie once said. God will help you choose. The effect of the fear must be dealt with, and we can control and dissipate this. Remember, our world is no longer pastoral, it is technological. See a thing for what it is, remove yourself from it, or disempower it in your life.

Then it all comes together in the last section. The consistent provision in the face of whatever constitutes an enemy; the blessing of the Lord upon us; the overflowing cup – not of material goods, but of spiritual strength! These are our ongoing indicators, for when we treat the body as the temple of the spirit, God is always with us in spirit, and we shall not be moved.   

In John 10 all of this is repeated and taken further.  The line is drawn clearly between true and false shepherds. The false shepherd is a thief, a hireling, who expects payment while the true shepherd consistently demonstrates genuine care which cannot be bought. And the Lord also calls many other sheep, over and above those of known identity. There is the Israel of God. There is the Christian Church of Jesus Christ. And Jesus says that there are others, many who will come, startlingly different and yet acceptable to God, to sit at the table of the Lord.  For the longest time, Christian distinctions applied to the world have been false distinctions. Hence, Jim Wallis recent book’ The False White Gospel, which is essential reading for all Christians!  We must grow beyond such things.

So, there are these 2 aspects. They run through all of the Bible in so many different ways. There has always been the traditional use; but Jesus is always into newness, moving beyond the old ways. Why? Because he has so much to show, so much to teach, and he only came for one purpose – to redeem. When that was done, his work was finished, and our work began. And we do not walk alone. Jesus is indeed the Good Shepherd, but we are not sheep. We are sheep only when we are in need of his comfort, and it is given accordingly. But beyond that, following Jesus is very different - for this world, its definitions of what’s important and what’s not, and the very meaning of what human beings who walk with God can achieve. We have a long journey before us, and all of that waits before you. Reach out to the Spirit and grow. Blessings always, G.

Grace Upon Grace

 

Sunday Mar 16^th 2025 

Dear friends,

We started our work a few weeks ago using a Branch Theology approach based on the text ‘I am the vine, you are the branches’ from John Ch15. In setting out foundations, I am drawing together a scriptural  framework that supports, motivates and empowers this approach. I got started on this because, after a lifetime based on traditional church norms, I found that they were insufficient, there were too many questions, too few answers. I had to begin my own journey to discover what salvation really is, in this lifetime and beyond it.  Much of what scripture says continues to be unrealized in what we have traditionally called the Christian faith, and somehow I have been led onto this path. In Jacob’s Ladder, I share the experience to the extent I am able. There is much that serious Christians must work out on their own.

We began with verses from John Chapters 1 and 15, Psalm 46, and Matt 5. These few weeks are just an overview. The detail and the heaviness of it will come soon enough. Beyond that, it will be both light and enlightening. Right now, we just want a sense of what these scriptures are leading us into.  By Easter, as we get to the end of this base structure, I will have a diagram of how Branch Theology maps out in a believer's life.

Today we continue by looking at verses in John Chapters 1, 8, and 10; and in Psalm 8;

In John 1: 16 the Baptist says ” And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace.” John 8:31 says If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. John 10:10 I came so that they may have life, and have it abundantly.The Christian life is a process of receiving grace upon grace from the Lord Jesus.

Think back to the beginning of your Christan journey; for some of us it has been a family orientation, from birth; it came as part of a family identity; for others, a conversion orientation, perhaps as a response to the verse in John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him, should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Either way of entry, that ‘believeth on him’ encompasses a whole lot, and we must unravel it step by step, layer by layer, to get to the center of it, just as we would peel an onion. 'Belief' is not about making a declaration that says ‘I believe’ but of making a spirit to Spirit connection. A link that can and should grow stronger with every day. And it begins with the exercise of human will to do a thing, and to make it happen. We have yet to come to terms with our God given brain and all that we are able to enable. 2 sides of a coin – Jesus and you. And in our growth, the strength of this will to make a thing happen, as God wills it, becomes stronger and more possible with every passing day. Like growing a plant, or as in a relationship, we must nourish it, and it will grow. Tradition has called such statements a confession of faith, as in ‘to confess Christ’. But to push beyond church declarations of public witness, it really comes down to the individual life with belief in will resulting in action, and the actions happen because we are finding the true source of power that promotes and enables such action. 

What is clear from the beginning is the transfer of value and worth from God to us, into our consciousness. Each one of us is worth the precious blood of Jesus, given for us – the life of God, in life giving spiritual energy! That energy produces in us the mind of Christ! Not just so that we may go to a ‘heaven’ one day when our spirit leaves this body and this earth, but to overcome the challenging issues and struggles of this life in the here and now! Jesus is the great enabler who makes enablers of all of us.

And God desires to motivate amd enable each one of us towards spiritual maturity. Psalm 8 is a culmination of all that David achieved in his life.  Remember, David repeatedly reinterpreted tradition, understanding that it was not so much trusting in God as it was that God was trusting in Him! Use your will for Godly purposes, and you will not fail, even though things work out differently! David’s men picked grain and ate on the Sabbath, because it was the needful thing to do. They were in need, and it was not wanton. And God does not make rules or laws or traditions that prevent need from being met. Men do. Mostly to control others and lord it over them, anyways. But God does have an order and sets this in motion within us. God seeks to build passion, and community. Where people care for each other and support each other, and no harm is done to anyone.

Psalm 8, when it speaks of us being like the angels, or a little less than God, speaks clearly to the heights of human achievement. Not by might or earthly 'God of this world' power, but by the Spirit of the Lord. Hence, Elijah was enabled to run faster than Ahab's horse chariot and got to the city first! God will do strange things in your life, and God will tell you what to share when, or if not at all.

We have had few leaders who have taught us or shown us the way on these things. Their focus has been on building corporate life, not on building the strong individual Christian life, and many of them have even failed in this. But such ability is absolutely essential in a world where wickedness continues to prevail. True spiritual strength is where Jesus’ teaching that faith can move mountains becomes real. And we don’t have to go look for mountains.  When you move a subjective ‘mountain’ in your life, it is what constitutes a ‘mountain’ for you, something to climb, to take on, to overcome. Whatever it is, you will know it by the nature of the experience. But there is an objective dimension to what Jesus was saying, seen clearly in his cursing of the fig tree. It is the ability to control the situation and the things around you. Beyond visual form, in creative and created entity, everything has atomic structure. When you have control of this you assemble and dis-assemble at will, hence Jesus appearing and disappearing post Resurrection! Its the notion of the science of transportation, learning how to dis-assemble here, transfer, then reassemble form over there; the idea became a little more apparent with the transporters seen in Star Trek programs, so we had “Beam me up, Scotty!’ happening! Life energy traveling over a beam of light. Same principle. Jesus was showing us Star Trek stuff a long time ago!

We believe, and we develop our faith. And as we age we grow in spiritual strength, wisdom, insight, and unbelievably, even energy, as it is needed! Wisdom and insight teach us to eat well, so we take good care of the physical body that houses our spirit in this life. We will come to the teaching about the body as a temple soon enough. But it is not just food, fresh air and sunshine that give energy. As we noted last week in Matt 5, God gives sustaining rain and sunshine in creative energy equally to all. Ask, and you will receive. Those who use this well, gain more. Those who use this poorly lose it, then they lose the power of will for good, and ultimately end up being powered by an evil principle. It’s like Skywalker and the dark side! They descend, devolve, hurt, harm, and face judgement when they leave this earth. Know good from evil in all that is around you by the outcome it creates in the lives of others. Not the genuine mistake made, but rather, the intent to do harm.

As Jesus says, continue in my word. This is the word of scripture that we read.  And it is also the interpretation that we hear, as Jesus speaks to us, and the Spiri's energy moves from God’s spirit to our spirit. It is the dynamic spirit of the Lord moving with us in the understanding and in the acting out of what the word entails in our lives. How to know it’s the truth? Evaluate your results, as you go, by measuring your ability to overcome all of the challenges of life. And to make a differnce in the everyday things, even. This is why talk of faith and of belief must culminate in the love, joy, and peace of the Holy Spirit in our lives that brings us through all things safely. Faith and belief acted out in the reality of life. Actually, it is amazingly exciting – this reality of grace, upon grace. God’s goodness and generosity is not limited. We must learn and know the discernment of cause and effect, when the things of the world get in the way of our living and very likely cannot be reversed. And we must be able to identify that which is not cause and effect, but is malleable, not always clearly understandable, but in which we a difference can be made. God cares for all of the children of the earth, but only those who seriously seek the Father find him. And those who seriously seek him are always mindul in cultivating God's presence.

Those who get their relationship right with Jesus will all hear the same truth. When you hear different, somebody’s not in synch. So they hear something different. Who knows where that comes from? All you will see is that it is ineffective, or is born of a different will, and will not achieve a godly result. Look around at what is happening in the country now. It speaks for itself. It comes from their own minds, from within themselves, from the other spirit of this world. You decide. You will know. This is the freedom of the spirit. And you don’t have to fight about it with anyone. Let them pursue what they claim. They will need to learn for themselves, if they are open to learning from the Spirit of God.

We must know ourselves. We must learn and develop our self -awareness, each of us, for the ‘Be still and know’ of scripture works both ways, towards God, and also towards us. Never mind others, and what’s happening in their lives. Look inside yourself. Where are you, and where are you going? Doing kind deeds is a great thing. Getting closer to God is an even greater experience! It will bring a spiritual dimension into every social act and deed that you do! Something about the spirit in which you do it will uplift someone else! And it’s not about convincing yourself but it’s about experiencing the reality of God given spiritual power.

A neat psychologist once said that we can’t speak honestly to each other. We can only tell each other what we think/believe/know the other wants to hear. Or we’ll all not be able to get along. Really? Thus sayeth the world. And hence goeth the sad way of human non-growth. But the child of God speaks little, if at all. Wisdom is not cruel, but kind and uplifting. Insight is penetrating and reveals the truth of where we are and where we could be. Human culture today is not growing upwards, but devolving downwards. Here, there, and in many places worldwide.

Be resolved to be different. Be resolved to be truly Christian. Find out what it means and find that God continues to have a place and a role for each one of us where we are. More to come. Peace and love, G.

Be still.....and know.

 

Mar 9^th 2025, 1st Sunday in Lent.

Last week we looked at what Jesus says in John 15 about staying in accord with him. The result is clear. We become doers, and grow beyond talk, which is always easily done. 1^st lesson! To learn about people, and possibly the most important, about politicians. Look at actions, don’t listen to words. By contrast, Jesus said very little. But he did amazing life-changing stuff.

2^nd, we learn to control and manage our lives - our strengths, our weaknesses, our fears. And this is of critical importance. Again and again we hear it said in scripture, do not fear. We do not wait for events. We are ready for them. A steady linear upward growth, as versus the traditional forgiven sinner identity, which in many ways stays happy but is also hapless, and often easily manipulated. Just satisfied that there is always forgiveness of sin, of failure. Not wrong, but just very incomplete.

This is what Jacob’s Ladder is about – bringing both scripture and Spirit into real functionality in our lives! Kinda took me all my life! From the perspective of John 15, 3:16 is just the first step, no more. Individual accord with Jesus is not necessarily inherent in the social and corporate identity and function that a church group provides. That is tied to socio-political circles of income and so forth. Rather, I am speaking of a daily individual constant, dependent only on your relationship with Jesus.

And the next step? This week, John 1:1ff; Psalm 46:10; Matt 5:16, 44.

John 1:12 ff is subtle. John expands on the Genesis confession in a different perspective of light – the Light of Jesus. Jesus has always been there; everything that has been created has been created through him. Think about that for a moment. Genesis says we are created from clay, the dust of the ground, and unto that dust we shall return. But that ‘we’ is not a complete reference and only refers to our physical bodies. God breathed life into dust and clay and created man. And at death, the clay disintegrates, but the life returns to God. As Jesus said, this day thou shalt be with me in paradise. Remember?

And then Matthew 5 , verses16 & 44. In making all of creation, God is in creation, everywhere. We feel God’s beauty and strength when we look at mountains, seas, and all of nature. God sustains life. In the very same way, God sustains us, God’s pre-eminent creation. God creates all things, sustains all things, pours energy into all things – the tide, the waves, the wind. And also upon each one of us. This is what Matt 5:44 speaks to. For God pours love upon all of creation, and upon each one of us. Does not scripture say Ask and ye shall receive? Ask then, every day, in a prayer of thanksgiving, and you will receive enough love, enough energy for the day’s needs. God will give. Ask in faith, believing. God pours his sun and his rain upon his creation, all of it, with love. Take and use. It is the true communion of love fairly given to all. And what you do with it makes a difference. Like the parable of the talents, those who use their gifts well find increased blessing. Those who don’t, slouch into the path of Ahab and Jezebel, slowly but surely.

And then Psalm 46 vs 10 instructs us. Being still is a disciplined practice. It is you and God, your quiet space, undisturbed. No movement of mind, but just an unthinking quietness, and no movement of bodily distraction. Learning how to ignore all of the little things that distract, enables us to focus on the Spirit, and only can we truly see and hear. We just have to put everything aside first. And keep at it. And we will get better at such discipline and control. And you will know for yourself, for knowing exceeds feeling. Feelings come and go, but the knowing remains. I learned this when I learned as a young Minister to pray for the energy I needed to pray for others! And I have a terrible brain, it keeps jumping from one thing to the other, into any and all related and associated things. Really frustrating. But when you persist in learning to quiet yourself, you will feel and know the difference. In Christian history, the best examples of this are seen in the lives of many Catholic saints. They learned through experience that God is always near. And Jesus’ love in our lives is life-changing! It is the fullness of the abundant spiritual life.  We cannot see what God sees, but we can intuitively know what is right vs that which is wrong. Follow the right action, do what you can, do what you must, and leave the rest in God’s hands. It will work out.

And so we get the result of Matt 5:16. When you get these things even a little right, like mustard seed sized faith, you will see what a difference it makes to your energy, your presence, your ability to encourage and help others. In a time of darkness, light is not overshadowed. You are a part of that light, so go forth and let it shine. This Lent, work on the temple that is your body and the light that is your spirit. Build it some, and let it shine a little more brightly in a time of wicked darkness, And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you, always. G.

 

Lent in the time of an Ahab

 Dear friends,

And so it is Lent, in the time of Ahab…..

In the Old Testament, it is Israel in the time of Elijah. Think Jezebel and Naboth’s Vineyard, 400 prophets of Ba’al seeking the life of Elijah; a time of famine and people are hurting; Elijah takes refuge in the cave of Mach-Pelah, tired and weary. Let me die, O Lord, it is enough. But he hears the still small voice of the Lord and finds new strength. A lesson for Lent.

In the New Testament, it is a man in a ditch, lying there, injured. The comfortable, the wealthy, the self-concerned, pass him by. But a Samaritan – an outsider, not one of the accepted am-ha-aretz, but a Samaritan, stops and gives him help. He survives because of such help. Another lesson for Lent.

So scripture teaches, from the mouth of the Lord, that the last shall be first, and the first last. And many shall come from the corners of the earth, each one different, but all welcome at the Lord’s table. The new Israel of the world. Yet another lesson for Lent.

We must pray, indeed, as Jeremiah said, for the well-being of the land that you live in, for in its well- being you will find your own. More for Lent. Will give us lots to think about every week.

In Ahab’s time, if the people were asked ‘what has your king done for you?’ the answer would be ‘nothing’. The people suffered. The King rejoiced in his kingliness. Not much has changed.

Back when I was a little one, there was a Presbyterian pastor-scholar-World War II Chaplain who turned out to be one of the best Old Testament scholars ever. His name was John Bright, and I would learn of his work in the years to come. But back in 1953 he said:

“We have created a nation greater than David’s, prosperity such as Solomon never dreamed of, and with it a complete metamorphosis of the national character. Wil our destiny as a nation which calls itself Christian be satisfied in terms of the economic prosperity and the national might which we have created?

Will we seek no higher salvation than the present order can provide? Will we assume that the present order is the God ordained order, which God may be called upon to defend?

The people   the question so, will see it as the sole function of religion to support and hallow in the name of God, its own material best interests. But it will never understand the meaning of the Kingdom of God.

Will we,like Israel, imagine that our destiny under God and God’s purpose in history, are to be realized in terms of the society we have built? “John Bright, The Kingdom of God, pg 50,1953.

 

Think again of Elijah in Ahab’s time and consider the parallels; a sitz im leben in which there is no justice, a little food, precious little water, and a leadership that cared nothing for the people.

Will we wait for an Elijah? But the time of the prophets is over. Anyone who calls himself a prophet is a liar. He will not be able to do a godly thing. He will merely try to impress with baseless claims. Who is called then? And the answer? All of us! Hence Jesus says and if you say to this mountain move to the sea, it will. Truly find the true Lord, move with mustard seed faith and belief into the power of the Risen Christ, be free to seek true justice and right living. It is why he taught us to pray  ‘Thy Kingdom come.’ For in its coming (I do not mean that preoccupation with end times, for they are far far away) this world may be transformed. May the God of peace in Jesus bless you with the presence of his peace, keep your mind clear, and your convictions growing. G.

             

Once again, from the beginning....

 

Branch theology for the serious Christian

Dr R G Eli, Martha’s Vineyard, 2025.

 

Dear friends,

1.Through the years I have worked on the need for Christians to be clear about whom they are called to be, and I have devoted myself to that in the Jacob’s Ladder text. As it takes shape, I see no need to wait until it is complete to share notions and ideas of who we are and what we may achieve in what we are called to be, in this life and the next.

We begin with a grouping of selected scriptures that in my understanding cover both the canonical, the formative and the testimonial elements that make up what it means to be Christian. Post World War II, we have consistently been good Samaritans to the world as best as we can. Our internal struggles are our business. But now we face the disconcerting contradiction that our leadership no longer wishes to help those in need but will somehow justify munitions aid to Israel. Christians are not ignorant of Israel’s history, or at least they should not be, if only because the New Testament is the fulfilment of the Old Testament. That is one of the challenges we will visit in the days to come. Walk with me and think for yourself. The Lord enables you.

2.How Christians move forward - strongly and with good witness - is always important, whichever place and situation we might be in.  The Bible has a neat verse in Jeremiah that says ‘seek the welfare of the city that I have sent you into (exile); and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will find your own welfare.’ So may it be for all of us. We are where we are, most of us, by choice.

 3.Lastly, whatever notions we have about injustice, there are always peaceful responses that can be upheld. We cannot run from the face of wickedness, and we must stand firm. Jesus did not pick fights with Pharisees and the like, but he called out evil when it manifested before him. He threw the moneychangers out of the temple. We must ask who our moneychangers are, and what temples we are talking about. Another challenge. We do not need to get into the actions of leadership in its myriad forms. If we are in accord with Jesus, we will be able to recognize evil for what it is, and we will know how we should respond. That freedom is a God given gift to all of us.

We start off this week with Jesus’ words in John Ch 15.

1.John Ch 15

 

I am the vine you are the branches; he who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

stay connected to Jesu, live in accord with the Lord, demonstrate the power. That is our witness.

 

And the cause and effect sequencing is awesome! Go through each one and check it out against your lifestyle!!Some of it we will come back to as we go forward, because it does not lend itself to you in an easy grab!

 

We are to                                                                And the Lord will

Abide/remain in/with me.......................I will abide/remain in/with you

No branch can bear fruit by itself............it must remain in the vine

you are the branches………………………….I am the vine

Remain in me........................................bear much fruit

Remain in me........................................my Words remain in you

Ask whatever you will.............................it will be given

Father’s glory…………………………………….that you bear much fruit

                                                                                      showing yourselves to be my disciples

Remain in my love..................................obey my commands

Bear fruit...............................................fruit that will last

 

REMAIN = continue to stay with......OK. But how? If you invite Christ into your life, where exactly is he? Answer – inside of you! Mind, body, spirit? This is a Spirit-on-spirit process, in every aspect of your life that you share! And this is the meaning of “I am always with you “. All the time, all the way, in and through everything. Now, ask yourself, how aware are you of this? To what degree are you actually working with the Christ in you? And that is why the vs in Ps 46 that says “Be still and know “is so critical! You see ‘be still’ = stop moving, stop thinking. (we will deal with this in detail down the line) If you don’t/can’t, your mind will create its own responses to your prayers and you will think that God is speaking to you! This is what happens to most people hence no one ever gets the same answer from God about the same issue! How come? Isn’t it the same God? Wouldn’t God say the same thing to everyone about the same issue? So how come each one hears something different? Because it was their own mind, not God.

 

REMAIN IN MY LOVE = obey my commands, and there are no 10 commandments here! Only 3! 1. Love God. 2. Love your fellow human beings. 3. Love each (Christian) other. And here the formula is 1 = 2+3!  Remember that 2 = people in general, no religious affiliation applies...just your witness of kindness, compassion, and justice, like the Good Samaritan; and 3 = all other Christian believers because we all share a common covenant! So, the in me/remain/love/obey is a continuation of the covenantal understanding of the Old Testament. The same stipulations apply. If you do not practice Christ i.e. behaving as Jesus would, you are not in covenant with him, and nothing applies. Not what you say, but what you do.

 

When you carry out 1 and 2 above, then God is glorified by the words and the deeds of your life! And your walk is close with God, your spiritual life is strong, your actions are consistently correct; and they constitute a godly witness!

In carrying out 1 and 2 above, do a kind deed for someone you don’t know when the opportunity presents itself.  

Further, ask, what glorifies God? Certainly not material prosperity. As Jesus said, do not lay treasures up for yourself in this life...prepare for that which is to come instead.

The good Christian life is not about power/control over others. As Jesus said, my Kingdom is not of this world. Stay connected, in order to reach that! What did Paul mean when he spoke of a 3^rd heaven? How was it that Elijah experienced temporal relocation? Where did Jesus go to each time he disappeared post-Resurrection? These are the real questions that lie behind Jesus’ statement in John 14 when he says ‘I go to prepare a place for you that where I am you may be also’.

Salvation means deliverance, now. Fruitful lives. God in Jesus takes us beyond the initial identity of a forgiven sinner.  That consciousness of inherent sinfulness, if it dominates us, can create an imprint of inadequacy. We end up being just a bunch of forgiven sinners, sheep that have gone astray, constantly in need of a spiritual leader! But Jesus says you and I are called to lead, wherever we are, in some way, shape or form! His ‘go and sin no more’ says clearly that linear spiritual growth is doable. We have not gotten it right, that’s all; and the oversimplification of the Christian life and faith by the corporate body we call church does not help us move beyond a corporate notion of social holiness. Only the Christ who walks with us can take us into the real personal holiness that Christian social life depends on. May your walk be abundantly fruitful! Every blessing in Jesus’ name, G.