His, Mine, or Ours Today there are many people who claim to believe in Christ, yet follow their own, or someone else’s, plan for their lives. God created every person who ever existed, in His image, for His purpose. All the major players in the Bible lived in intimate relationships with God, which no one could mediate. God may have had others remind them they were accountable to Him, or otherwise help them put things into perspective, but not one of those people relied on someone else to determine who they should be, much less, what they should do. The difference is the difference between believing in God, and believing God. Those who believe in God, are believing what someone else teaches about God, while those who believe God, seek, and develop, intimacy with Him, even if it has to be in spite of others. We must ask ourselves whether our lives are defined by God alone [His], our selves (with the help of others) [Mine], or in relationship with God, who created us to be creative partners in His creation [Ours]. References: Genesis 1:1-2:4 (God), 2:5-5:2 (Adam / Cain), 6-9 (Noah), 11 (The people / Terah), 12-25 (Abram/Abraham); 25-49 (Jacob/Israel), 30-50 (Joseph): Exodus 2-Deuteronomy 24 (Moses): Exodus 17 and 32-33; Numbers 11, 13-14, 26-27, 32 and 34; Deuteronomy 1-3 and 31-34; and Joshua 1-Judges 2 (Joshua): 1Samuel 1-19 and 28 (Samuel): 1Samuel 16-1Kings 2 (David): 1Kings 16-2Kings 2 (Elijah): 1Kings 19-2Kings 13 (Elisha): 2Kings 19-20; 2Chronicles 26 and 32; Isaiah; Matthew 3, 4, 8, 12, 13, and 15; Mark 1 and 7; Luke 3-4; John 1 and 12; Acts 8; Romans 9-10 and 15; and Hebrews 11 (Isaiah): 2Chronicles 35-36; Ezra 1; Jeremiah; Lamentations; Daniel 9 and Matthew 2, 16 and 27 (Jeremiah): (Ezekiel): Matthew 7 and 24, Mark 13, Luke 6, 1Corinthians 15; 2Peter 2-3, and 1John 4 The above is the original “Thought for the Week,” as posted on bucministries.org on 13 January, 2011. Below you will find elaboration based on the biblical references included in the original entry. With few exceptions, the references above are chapter references because the context of a verse is at least as important as the verse itself. There are also examples from personal experiences. This blog is meant to challenge those who read it, encouraging you to consider why you believe what you believe, so you will be able to stand in the day of trouble. If you have comments, concerns, suggestions (including for future "Thoughts"), or simply want to communicate with the author, please post them here, or send them to [email protected]. I was listening to a radio program today where the estimated number of Christians in the world was given as 2.1 billion, yet the person who stated this statistic doubted its validity, because the world would be a very different place if it were true. Then he went on to teach a medieval doctrine that evolved from the teachings of those who did not experience biblical truths in their daily lives. People who did not know the scriptures were creative in their interpretation of what they did know, or with the answers they came up with to the questions people were asking. For instance: The practices of “drawing and quartering,” and “burning at the stake,” were developed by people who thought the resurrection required a physical, earthly, body, to occur, so they made sure people couldn’t be resurrected by destroying their physical, earthly, body. This was actually evidence of their ignorance, since the scriptures clearly state our bodies were created from dust, and will return to dust (Genesis 3:19). While many people focus on the writings of Paul, and many doctrines have been developed from his writings, Peter made it clear that, “There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.” (2Peter 3). Because of this understanding, people developed a doctrine of disappearance, called the “Rapture,” which does not take into account the fact Paul wrote in 1Corinthians 15, that “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.” Personally, this causes me to think I will leave this damaged, poisoned, imperfect, earthly, body behind and receive a new, imperishable, perfect body, which will be able to endure standing in the presence of God. Some people choose to fear God. When the scriptures are translated into English, the word “fear” is often used when the better translation would be “respect.” Fear is a tool of the enemy, which is a response to irrational, or unpredictable, behavior. Those who choose to fear God become afraid of His wrath and punishment. They reach a point where fear is dominant in their lives and they are so afraid of making a mistake, they do nothing. People who seek to only live the lives God demands of them, will never live the lives God created them for. The scriptures make it clear God always convicts a person before He allows them to experience the ramifications of their behavior. If we choose to acknowledge our behavior was harmful to ourselves, God will step in and mitigate the results (not always saving us from the pit, but at least pulling us out of it. The descendants of Israel chose to have someone mitigate their relationship with God, when God wanted an intimate relationship with each of them (Exodus 19-20). As a result, they drifted away, until their priests developed doctrines that assured them God would never let anything happen to the city of Jerusalem. These religious leaders were teaching this doctrine even as Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. While they were in exile, the priests who had to justify their lies, to maintain their religious authority, developed the doctrines of sin and punishment, telling people God was punishing them for their sins, when God was simply allowing the ramifications of their decisions to occur, with the hopes they would turn to Him for help. At no time, did God want these people to suffer. He kept reaching out to them, but they kept turning away, following those who lied, because it made them think they would not be held responsible for their own actions (Exodus 20, Lamentations 2, Ezekiel 13 and 22). Today there are many who teach that we should “fear” God. These people teach fear and condemnation, without the grace and mercy exhibited, and taught by the Christ they claim to represent. Jesus died so other people would have the opportunity to live long enough to develop a dynamic, intimate, personal relationship with God. These people teach that we should force others to believe in Christ, the way they do (like the many of the Pharisees, including Paul, did), without encouraging them to seek intimacy with, and believe, Christ for themselves, as if He did not guarantee He (and the Father) would come and make His home inside anyone who loves God (John 14), and manifest Himself in each of our lives in ways that are meaningful to us. Some people never take the time to reflect on their lives and acknowledge their parents and others made mistakes when they decided what their children should do, or who they should be. These people define their selves by what they think other people expect of them, and never seek the intimacy with God that is required to discern what and who God created them to be. Often, people in churches may seek to become the person God created them to be, but they are submitted to the opinions, teachings, and perspectives of their religious leaders, still allowing other people to define who they are, and mediate their relationship with God. This is a teaching that preceded Jesus, because the Sadducees required people to do the right things to relieve themselves of guilt, without allowing them to seek intimacy with God (Matthew 5:12, Luke 20, John 7 and 15:20, Acts 9, 22 and 26; 1Corinthians 15Galatians 1, 5 and 6 and 2Timothy 3). Those who did seek intimacy with God were chastised, or cast out of their synagogues/churches (Acts 13 and 17; 3John). In fact, in the Greek, it is clear the Judean Jews, who were most heavily influenced by the Sadducees, were the ones who demanded the death of the Christ, because He threatened their economic prosperity and alliance with Rome (Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, Luke 22, John 9 and 12, and Acts 5, 9 and 21-22). Notice the priests were Sadducees, believing only what they could see and benefiting economically from the tithes brought to the temple, which were supposed to be used to help those in need, like the widows and orphans (Deuteronomy 14, 16, 24, and 26; Psalm 94 and 146; Jeremiah 7). Only a few people seem to truly seek intimacy with God, at any cost, working to develop a relationship with Christ similar to the relationships John and Peter had with Him. Those who choose to have a mediator, negate the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and focus on the cross, which is a symbol of death, rather than the empty tomb, which is what sets the Christ apart from every other savior and prophet that has ever existed. Some people teach that the Bible is the “word of God,” ignoring the fact it refers to itself as scripture and the Word of God as either Jesus, the Christ (Revelation 19), or something situational that leads to conviction and changed lives. These give novices justification for cursing God, since the book they claim is the “word of God” says “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9), which is clearly not a word from God. Neither are the words Eliphaz recited, after receiving them from a shadowy figure that caused his skin to crawl (Job 4-5). The people who teach these doctrines are following in the footsteps and traditions of the false teachers of the Hebrew Testament, and as predicted by Christ and others (Matthew 7 and 24, Mark 13, Luke 6, 2Peter 2, and 1John 4). Those who desire, seek, and develop, intimate, personal, power filled, relationships with God, where they work together with God to develop an understanding of who God created them to be, even if it has to be in spite of others, will find the truth in the Christ’s statement in Luke 14. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple” (hate is the absence of love). I have yet to meet a person who was seeking intimacy with God, who didn’t learn how to grieve and let go of the lies they had taken to heart as a child. I also have not met one person who had an intimate relationship with God, who did not seek God’s cleansing whenever God made them aware of an issue that caused pain to them, and often others. Please join me in moving beyond the selfish definition of the self (Mine), and the fearful, or "so heaven bound your no earthly good," God alone defined definition of the self (His) and begin seeking the intimacy that will allow you to discern, know, and become, the person God created you to be, in relationship with Him (Ours). Only in that relationship will you find yourself losing the coping mechanisms that keep you from taking the risks, and receiving the rewards, required to live a truly fulfilling life, which only God can provide, in relationship with, and mutual respect for you. After all, He did create you, and respects your choices as His creative junior partner in His creation..
Posted on: Mon, 01 Jul 2013 12:17:27 +0000
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