A dog on a leash

-So here we are in the month of June already. I wonder, do people ever get tired of being reminded how fast time goes by? Yeah, I think they do. Anyway, only six months till Christmas. Better hurry.

When it comes to thinking about how time flies I can't help but to think that this coming September it will have been ten yrs ago, my first time thru the entire Bible. Seems like only yesterday. I've been thru it several times now. That's all I want to do, it never gets old and never gets boring. It's fresh every time we read it. It encourages us, convicts us, motivates us and definitely changes us.
Change is never easy. I know of several marriages that when one spouse begins reading God's Word in context, and begins to get it because God is revealing it to them, that this divided the marriage because the other spouse was not prepared for the change in them.
I've often said that the Bible should come with a warning label. What i mean is, if Christians who have never read it, like how things are going in this world and everything is OK with them, then don't read God's Word in context. Just keep cherry picking verses and life can roll steady. Besides, you'll have plenty of company and congregations to feed your mis applying random Scriptures to your everyday life.

God's complete Word, all 66 books changes things. It's tough to explain.
It's like a staircase that goes straight up and never ends,

*

 If we stay with it, God's revelation comes one step at a time.
Some steps are harder than others and it depends on the one reading the Bible as to how long they will stay on any particular step, before moving on.
In the ten years of reading the Bible , it has been one revelation after another. Or step as I will call it.

I say it that way to introduce here a new "step" I've recently been challenged with. It has to do with the local congregation and I'll call this step 'leadership.'

Through out this post I will purposely use the word "congregation" when mentioning the "church."
I'm doing that to address a serious confusion when discussing church /congregation issues.

You see, people assume that an "entire" congregation IS the church.
But it isn't and within this confusing language comes massive problems.

The best that can be said about weekly congregational meetings is -
-that's the church
-mixed with unbelievers (unrepentant, unsaved, just curious)
-mixed with believers not yet baptized in this the Holy Spirit.

But that's to long to say so we just call it "church." and that's just not right.

Now just imagine us trying to create some leadership structure to that.
We don't have to imagine.



Congregations these days are either too structured or not structured enough.

People today would rather be led by leaders than follow Jesus.
Knowing the difference is vital.

-One focuses on someone else
-One focuses on individual
Not to tough to discern which our culture would prefer.

LEADERSHIP?

That's right, there's this thing called 'leadership' and its invading congregations.
Because I've been raised in a Christian home, I've been around this thing for a long long time.
But it's been just recently that it's dawning on me - 'we just don't get it! "

Again, people today would rather be led by leaders than follow Jesus.
The difference in this is subtle.



ANALOGY

As I was thinking of an analogy to best describe Christians spin on this thing called' leadership ' I thought of our dog.

I'll need to explain that.
My wife and I got our first dog last week, a one yr Shih tzu-poodle. We love him. Not being dog owners before, we're learning alot and having fun.
Taking him for walks is fun and he so excited and happy. He runs ahead but the leash restrains him. But he tugs and pulls , wanting to go this way and that and always wanting to go further than permitted. He doesn't get hurt and his intentions are good. He just wants to go his own way.

Christians are like that. We run ahead going this way and that always wanting to go farther than needed.  When it comes to the area of leadership , there is not enough room on my laptop to convey the vast number of directions Christians have went with this subject.
From vast exuberant leadership conferences to small middle America church boards , this thing called leadership takes on a life of its own.

WE DON'T GET IT

When it comes to leadership, we don't get it in the family and we don't get it in the church.
Even in the congregation I attend, we don't get it.
Leadership is something that seeks to be its own thing.
But its not.
It belongs to God, in marriage and in congregations.
But this language does not sit well in the human mind.
I wonder if I should begin thinking of leadership as something we borrow from God for a time.
It is truly His but He lends to us what we need to keep moving forward.
It may not be a perfect way of looking at it but I am in favor of anything that gets my mind away from me owning anything that belongs to God. And simply put , that includes everything.
But some things are harder than others.

Christians have ways to disguise their own desires to own this thing called 'leadership.'
We give clever titles to our understanding of it.
We'll call it 'discipleship leading' or 'congregational rule' or 'Moses model.'
(that last one I am currently learning of)

The problems of leadership is currently being demonstrated even now in our congregation . That's why I can't be specific.
But I can say, Christians love to use the analogy of the human body when discussing the congregation. You know, how all the parts work together.
But those parts only function well together when all the parts are communicating.
And this thing called leadership is a 'part' of the body.

LEADERSHIP & COMMUNICATION

Leadership takes on many many forms among believers. Not one congregation seems to resemble another and that is fine.
But something that should be uniform across all congregations is communication , or in other words, it needs to be present. At what level depends on the congregation.
But many times leadership fails to properly communicate with the congregation.

I said before, my Christian walk , as I read  the Bible cover to cover , is like a staircase with many steps. When I get to a step that is too big to comprehend due to its overwhelming nature , I tend to look for 'common denominators'  that either are positive or negative in whatever I am considering.
The common denominator that is both positive and negative concerning the leadership of any congregation  (depending on how it is used) is communication.
 I never take lightly the things I consider. I guess the reason for that is I myself do not want to be deceived in my own thinking.
The reason I am confident that communication is the key ingredient is because that is the key ingredient in 'every'  relationship.
And isn't a congregation of believers a relationship?
Whether it is with Jesus or in  marriage or family.
But for some reason, when it comes to church leadership, we just don't get it.

TWISTED VIEW OF COMMUNICATION

And is it any wonder.
The concepts of what we think of as communication has drastically changed.
These days posts & tweets & texts  pass for 'communication.'
People think that if we are just aware of the facts of ones life, that this is some form of communication. That is why facebook is so big. All people need to do is put pictures of what's occurring in their lives and hope others will see and thereby , they communicated with them. These days , just knowing information about another makes the one giving the information think they've communicated.

HOW WE TRY TO CORRECT OUR MISUNDERSTANDING OF COMMUNICATION.

 People read their Bibles this way. We listen to commentators , podcasts and vrs by vrs teaching. (I do this a lot )  and become aware of different facts about Jesus.
While it is true, I have grown spiritually ... that's not communication (with God)
Because everyone knows those things aren't communication , we ignore (what we know) and  we say things like "something is better than nothing" when it comes to communication.
I'm not so sure anymore.

HOW CAN WE MISS IT?


Things that keep believers from seeing truth has always amazed me. So often I wonder why I see things the way I do. I ask "am I deceived?"
But the need for communication is such a simple thing to see. How can anyone miss it?

I think it has something to do with inconsistencies.


INCONSISTENCIES!?

The new "normal" when considering anything these days centers around 'inconsistencies.'

Ever since that first time through the Bible , my spiritual growth many times has been a , "on one hand , on another hand " roller coaster.

For example : on one hand communication is encouraged in the congregation but on the other hand it is not sought after between some  leaders and congregation.
On one hand we use 1 Cor 12:15ff to explain unity but on the other hand that isn't applied to leadership in some places.  (thereby separating leadership from what 1 Cor is talking about)
On one hand we condemn worldly behavior but on the other hand we make our songs and congregations look like our culture. [ that's where worship teams came from.]
On one hand Christians  are told its not what we do that counts but on the other hand we are given a laundry list of things to do every Sunday.
On one hand we are told to avoid books and movies the culture offers but on the other hand churches endorse many obvious forms of heresy put out by the media and Hollywood.
On one hand we are told how vital the Bible is but on the other hand we can attend many congregations and leave the Bible at home.


That list of on one hand on the other hand can go on forever. Is it any wonder congregations do not grow.

Why are there so many inconsistencies? 

TRYING TO AVOID DIVISION

The reasons for that may vary but the most common one is our beliefs concerning division in the church. We try so hard to avoid what God says is going to occur. We try to create environments that will be free of division.
What happens in this is, as people come and go from this division free environment , the "leaders" of this just assume that this is a natural consequence of their church so they pay little mind to it. Leaders concern themselves with other leaders. What occurs in the congregation is another matter. Or at least this is what some think.
I find it amusing and sad, that the older I get I can see more clearly  the irony to things. The things we think will help are actually the things hurting us. And all this happens without us knowing it.


In our efforts to avoid any form of division or conflict or division , we have missed key and vital aspects of Gods complete message.
Now I am not exactly sure how all this works and it sure does sound like a major contradiction.

CONFUSION

We confuse conflicts & divisionn. We think they are the same.  There is a difference.

Conflicts do have benefits. When settled.
But our constant desire to avoid conflict causes us to miss that.
Leaders rarely trust their congregation to be able to settle differences. So they create ways to avoid it.
In doing so they unknowingly insult others.

EXAMPLE

I've seen how conflicts have benefited our marriage.
Yes, those same conflicts could have destroyed it, that's why this is so sensitive a subject.

If the entire council of God is preached correctly, THERE'S GONNA BE CONFLICT, that's a fact.

The power & glory are IN the settling the conflict in a Biblical man manner.
It's God's power & God's glory.

If conflict divides believers, you ain't doing something right.
If conflict divides believers & heresy, than you ARE doing something right.

Settling conflicts  is not exclusive to Christian marriages (because I know of many non believers that settle differences ) then it must be something else.
All I can figure is , is that this something else has to do with endurance and gratitude and praise.
For believers that belongs to God. For non believers that belongs to the individual.
Both have consequences, both have positive and negative areas and both will be resolved in the last day.

But believers today want to run ahead (like that puppy on a leash) and say that we can avoid anything negative and divisive. So we attempt to create here on earth , such an environment.
Hey... the gov't does this too. Trying to pass laws that keep us all safe and fair for all.
It doesn't work there and it doesn't work anywhere.


THE BIBLE ADDRESSES CONFLICT

Everywhere we look there's people having  problems in the Bible.
What's amazing is, God works within those problems & divisions.
That doesn't mean we seek to have problems but it also doesn't mean we seek to avoid them.

PEOPLE ARE BEGINNING TO "GET IT"

But in truth , we sense it. And sooner or later we get tired of this charade. At some point we pick up our Bibles and begin to read it. And when that happens look out.

Something that comes from reading Gods Word in context over and over is that at some point it becomes painfully clear how far we have strayed.
Fact of the matter is, probably the closest example of true leadership in a congregation  I know is when I was growing up as a kid. Too bad I missed it. But there were other things to derail that.
Isn't that just like things today. Not seeing the obvious, while it's happening.
I guess that's what growth is all about. 'Getting it' , sooner or later. (again, all depends on how we look at it)
We're either glad we eventually got it (by going to God's Word) or bitter because of learning of all the deception that kept us from 'get the getting it" for so many years.

SOME REASONS WE MISS IT

These ideas we have  of creating unity can keep believers from seeing how these things  cause problems.
That's because we say things like, 'isn't it good that WE try to keep peace (operative word "we")

ANOTHER REASON IS

Believers in this country of affluence and tremendous "blessing" have missed vital concepts of Gods Word.
I put the word "blessings" in quotes because much caution is needed when we consider what we call a blessing.
We have become so used to having everything we need that when anything interrupts this pattern we immediately become overly stressed.
Somehow the truths we know of scripture collide with how we interpret our circumstances of daily life.
The last thing anyone raised in the church wants to hear , when problems occur, is a Bible verse.
We want to trust God but we are not sure what that means.
Why is that?

The reasons for that have something to do with how we were raised.
Something about the way Christianity was portrayed.
My next post will deal more with that "something."

Then there are churches that  do grow in size but they have abandoned clear teaching . The teaching that offends us.  They remove what they think will divide.
We shouldn't seek to divide people but let's face it. The Bible, by definition, IS divisive
But we don't like that.

BIGGEST IRONY

And there , interestingly  enough , lies the problem. By trying to create something that avoids any hint of there being problems , we make for ourselves more problems.

NOW THAT'S IRONIC.

Some very odd ironies exist in all this. Congregations  who hear the Gospel, with the sharp edge of sin missing (because that offends us) interpret the gospel as a "one size fits all" teaching.

Congregations  that do have  entire chapters read from the Bible (and that's rare)  and its taught  correctly have people coming & leaving the congregation.
They come because reading the Bible is so rare. They wonder why other congregations  don't read it all.
They find that they learn so much and they think that because their learning, this strengthens their relationship with God..

(now here's where it gets tricky)

They leave because once the message of God's 'complete & total' message is revealed to them they sense a slight, very slight shift in focus there.
This slight shift of focus is so small that if we blink we'll miss it.
The focus becomes the Bible itself.

If Jesus is not central, believers (who know their entire Bible) can sense it.
They might not be able to identify it but they sense it.

It's like an airplane that's flying less than a degree off course. It's not noticeable but in the end the plane is way off course.
That describes the best of congregations today.

WHY THE IRONY?

That's because , when the truth of Gods Word meets up with our attempts to soften the blow and we seek to avoid division or conflict, even the powerful truths of the Bible , such as Sin and repentance ,when they are preached, come out all fuzzy  in this atmosphere of avoiding division.
The reasons people come and go from this have been missed.

Its like , Christians have this powerful truth to tell but we downplay its offensiveness.

Sadly , the Gospel these days , is no longer enough to soften the blow. Today we need leaders too do that.
Leaders make all sorts of decisions based on keeping unity.
Themes for church's are created.
Catchy slogans or even some mans vision is presented.

SOMETHING IS MISSING

If the church is off a degree, it would have to be in that area of the Person of the Holy Spirits role in a believers life.
Again, my next post will deal more with this. I'm still growing in this myself.
The question I have yet to answer is, when does a believer meet the Holy Spirit.
When our language concerning the Holy Spirit mirrors our language concerning Jesus, we are close, very close to the truth.
But our flesh has wreaked havoc reguarding the Holy Spirit and our understanding of Him.
Pentecostals favor the visual & Baptists favor the abstract, when preaching about the Holy Spirit.
It's time congregations wake up (i know I am) when discussing something so Holy.

MY PERSONAL STRUGGLE

At the time of this post , I am working out in my mind , several questions I have concerning leadership in the church . These questions arise from our own current experience within our congregation.
Regrettably , it took tensions among believers for me to consider this seriously. Why are things like that? Why do we wait until there's problems.

SILVER LINING

But there oddly enough, is an upside to problems.
It has opened my eyes.
Maybe I'm not seeing clearly now but experience has shown me that if I stay with this and ask questions with humility, I will eventually see more clearly concerning this thing called leadership.
When I say it's opened my eyes I mean, for as long as I can remember, growing up in the church life, I never quite understood 'membership' or structure or leadership as it pertains to churchs. I've often wondered why it was necessary to join any congregation as a member.
But I wonder if contained inu this idea of membership is a feeling or a sense of 'belonging.

SENSE OF BELONGING

This is huge.
It's just now occurring to me, I've attended congregations all my life but never felt as though I belonged there.
That's not an easy confession but one I need to make if I'm ever going to move forward.

There are many factors to consider in this.
But the common reason given as to why people leave the church is because they sense that God is not present, where they attend.

And the common reason given that opens the eyes of church goers is when they, for themselves, decided to read God's complete Word.
In other words, Christians who finally get around to reading the Bible cover to cover,they eventually  become dissatisfied with many congregations.

The question is - why is that?
The answer is - inconsistencies between congregations & the Bible.
The solution is - the Holy Spirit directing our focus back to Jesus (instead of the inconsistencies.)

The person of the Holy Spirit is lost for many believers.
This either gets over emphasized or under emphasized.



WHAT'S THE POINT TO ALL THIS?

I make these points to highlight the inconsistent nature of modern congregation we call "church."   "Church"  leadership is just one of many areas that fall prey to this.
I often wonder what creates this inconsistency , between what we know and what we are seeing.
We know Gods Word is true but we find it hard to see in daily life.



PEOPLE ARE GETTING IT

But people aren't fooled. Maybe for a time they are but sooner or later they will see thru this modern day church charade.
People attend congregations for various reasons. They either want or don't want certain things. Preachers today are forever wondering what motivates people. So we try to center congregations around what we think is important.

I am becoming a give it to me straight or don't give it to me at all kind of person.

IN CLOSING

It has taken me weeks to do this post due to my struggling with it.
So I'm going to close this with sharing the best place we can find, what God intended for congregations.

And that's on our knees before Him, alone in prayer as we cry out for mercy.

What happens when we get together for worship will remain a mystery and a struggle and if we are not careful satan will win every time.
He will use anything to get a congregations eyes off Jesus. Even spiritual things, like -
Prayer
Fellowship
Vrs by vrs
Worship
Serving
Ministry
Out reach
Getting other's saved
And yes, even leadership.

Now if you're not sure how those good sounding spiritual things can take the place of Jesus, you might be attending one that has another focus.

True worship will be clearly seen in heaven.
That's where we truly belong!


Till next time... Tryreadnit!

Difficulty in communicating

It's been awhile since I've posted. I want to keep up with my Sunday thotz but I will admit, as time goes on it gets harder and harder to do so. I find communication with others is becoming more and more difficult.

Think about where our culture has led us too.
(everything leads to something, more later on that)
It's led to us thinking talk radio is communication or information.
It's led to so called reality shows.
It's led to judges & doctors practicing on TV.
Or sound bites as people's opinions.
Or social media  as a way for us to stay "connected."
Or round the clock news when there is no news.
We have developed a "let someone else do the work" and we'll just listen to what we like.

And that mindset has made its way into christian thinking.
That's where all this "leadership" talk comes from. Let someone else do the work.
Placing titles on man. Just because we change a word from pastor to leader doesn't change the fact that our idea of those words do not exist anywhere in scripture.
Problem is, when genuine men of God do come along, it's tough to see them.
Men who are genuine communicate in the context of what they were called by God to do.

But today everyone needs to be led. By some leader. I have been known to say that if sheep need to be led , they are stubborn sheep. Sheep willingly follow.
If you need to be told the difference in that chances are your being led.

Todays "leaders" say they are led by God but try question them on their visions and stand back and watch what happens. You see, to question a vision (from a man) is to question God because they say they got this vision from God, and folks, that's shaky ground. Not to be allowed to test this to scripture is the key indicator it is not from God. And when I say scripture I mean the entire council of God. Not random verses. Men who rely on random verses need extra caution.

There are ways to test these things but few know what they are and the ones who do know what they are , are passed off as trouble makers.
So you can see why communication gets difficult.

People do not think in context. We don't research our opinions. We either focus on the present or live in the past. The center of our thinking is "me."

So just how deceived are we?

-Entire books can be written and the opening sentence can say clearly "its not about you" and then proceed for the remainder of the book discussing "you" and the reader is never aware. When multiple translations of the Bible are needed to state your view, chances are good your being deceived.
-Movies can have a character playing God and this character offers his throne to mankind saying something like if you think you can do better , you sit in my throne. This statement is designed to make us consider how difficult it is , being God. But the TRUTH of it is, this is what is truly in the heart of every man. They do want to sit on Gods throne and we do think we can do a better job at running this world than God. How many times have ya heard someone say its a good thing I'm not God. 
 Believers who endorse such things are extremely difficult to communicate with. It's best to not even try. They did not come to this acceptance over night. It takes years to get here. I'll post this clip to illustrate the magnitude of  what those, who love God's Word are up against.

So, how do seemingly reasonable believers accept this trash? It's a long slow process.


-Then we have popular translations of the Bible which  can be read from pulpits where the one who writes it openly denies the Bible and openly puts new age phrases in our Lords mouth , and those listening to this never sense it.
-We sing songs  that  can be sung by believers when no mention of specially who is the subject of their "praise."  Anyone of any faith can sing most of todays music found on Christian stations.
-People think they can receive direct new revelation from God. Key word is "new." Ever hear someone say "God is doing something new?" News flash : no He isn't. Read that Bible, you'll eventually see. Men who talk "new" things from God have an agenda. Beware.
-People think we need to have a vision , and then write it down. Might want to read that passage in Habakkuk again. Has nothing to do with you.
-People think the Bible promotes unity. We erase borders, we erase denominational lines. We even erase gender lines, all in the name of 'unity.' Somehow we've forgotten, God established those lines and borders.
-People think in terms of servant leaders. This is a leaders attempt to remind us they're humble. The necessity for such distinctions is good evidence it's questionable.
-People think these servant leaders have visions we must follow. The fancy term for that is 'vision casting.' Kinda like fishing. Both use hooks.
- people think that if we enact just the right laws we can create a fair society.
-people think that more laws and technology that people will never get hurt or sick again.
-People think the Bible is all about church growth. True Church growth is the result of something but today we have made this (church growth) a cause or mission.
-People think experiences are evidences of Gods involvement.
Testimonies of people dying and coming back from heaven or hell are more and more popular.
I think at this point I must specify, this is American life.
These beliefs (or thinking) do not fit in believers in other parts of the world. Emergent thinking is indeed global. It just has other names for it to keep people off balance and forever guessing.
Christians have ways of smoothing things though. We wrap human thinking in emotional packaging and by doing so can get away with many things. Words lose meaning.
This is why communicating is so difficult.

*****

So why would I include a video of a stage being built?
All those negative sounding things I mentioned (above) is in reality God setting up His stage for something and we need to be telling others what that is when they ask us and the only way to know what it is , is to read the Bible in its context. When our kids and grandkids ask us we need to give them real answers.
Actually we need to be sharing the gospel but besides that we need to be reading our Bibles and telling others. (or warning) of the times to come.
But mankind sets up their own stages. And just like in real life , the people who attend (whatever is on stage) they are not aware of any of the stage preparations. All they know , when they get there , is that the stage is there, How it got there is not their concern.
But folks, in life we need to be able to recognize what's coming based on the setting of the stage.
The fact that the visible church is abandoning the whole Bible as well as doctrine fits nicely on Gods stage. The reason that is true because many in the visible church are unaware. This would be that strong delusion the Bible speaks of. We trade the reading of the whole Bible along with doctrine for seeking unity and church growth.
While the visible church encourages you to have your best life now , events are occurring in many places . When trouble does come to America , these people will be needing answers to what's happening.
When the time comes , those who read their Bibles as intended can give these people answers  from places in the Bible they probably know little of. Places like Jeremiah and Zechariah and Ezekiel , 2 Peter , Jude  (when you share this with them try not to have too big a grin on your face when they ask "why have I never heard this before?. Its not their fault they never read those books thru)
I said something wrong there. I'm sorry but it is their fault.
If people don't research what they read and hear and if all they do is read the Bible like most  a news paper (headlines) then we deserve what we get.
And what we get is a clueless generation.
So all this confusion , as foretold , is setting a stage for Christ's return .
But just as the Jews back in the days of the crucifixion , they thought of Christ's return as one riding in on a military leader (instead of a Savior)  - and today we think of Christ's return riding in on a peaceful wave (instead of persecution)
Its not easy telling people the truth. People think what they think and believe what they believe. People will follow whatever looks good. Fooling people is not that tough. They do not want to be confused with the facts and communication is difficult.

Out of 100 people who ask questions , we would be blessed if one person truly wanted truthful answers. Most people , when they ask questions, don't really want to know the answer. But when and if you ever run into that person who wants answers , a person who knows it will take a long time in Gods Word and prayer to get the answers, that makes up for so much frustration.
Communication takes time to develop. It takes having a relationship with whomever we are communicating with
I don't think I need to say that relationships these days has taken on the same status as of the dinosaur. Or close to it.

Although, when communicating with those daily that we don't have a relationships with, and probably never will, context is still important. But in these situations it's nearly impossible to explain all that's needed to properly get to the point that's trying to be made.
I envy that believer with the gift of boldness when sharing the gospel. This person does not need context. He is gifted if he can just walk up to anyone and in 5 minutes be praying with them . I have a brother like this and I envy that (in a good way)
Conversations with those we will never have a relationship with consumes most of our every day. Everyone from co workers to the waitress at the diner.
I don't blame people in these situations when they rush off. . Everyone is in a hurry and our time is valuable. People don't have time for explanations. Besides, explanations sounds like excuses to most people. And most times they are. Frustration occurs when they (explanations) aren't excuses.
This is why i go out of my way to show much appreciation to those I randomly run into, who gives enough time for me to explain details.
That doesn't happen much today. Not even amongst family. Especially family.

Today people think that if we know what the other is doing daily , that constitutes a relationship. People tell me Facebook  is a good way to stay in touch.
I cant help but to ask ,why do we so easily settle into a something is better than nothing mindset?

I need to be ever mindful of this when it comes to my reading of Gods Word.
What I mean is, if I were to compare social media to verse by verse Bible teaching (something I love) the similarities would be :
      Just because someone does a status update on their FB as to where they are going or what the are doing (giving me info) does not mean I have a relationship with them.
      Nor does having a better understanding from preachers (giving me info) of a passage of scripture or an entire book of scripture mean I have a relationship with Jesus.
Those places I go too for Bible understanding are meant to lead me somewhere.
Getting to know someone takes time. It takes asking questions of the other. Having an understanding of someone's entire life goes a long way .
A relationship means having an understanding of a person along with endurance. We stay with this person, no matter what.
That is true with Jesus also.
Patience and forgiveness also are needed in true relationships.
The point is,knowledge alone does not strengthen  relationship although it's  a key step that leads to a relationship.
People often say "knowledge is power" but the truth is applying daily the knowledge we are given is power. (key word : applying)
Knowledge is definitely vital.

But we need to be mindful of where this knowledge comes from.
What are we reading?
What are we watching or listening too?
What influences us?
We need to be ever mindful of those influences. They shape us.

Many influences from the past  anger us or confuse us.
 To compensate for this, we look for things that seem to make sense to us,to explain those things of the past that either bothered us or things we simply didn't understand.
People try so hard to squeeze in their understanding,  to fit or explain God's ideas.

It's no secret, I favor having discussions in there perspective contexts.
Line by line, verse by verse reading of the Bible is the greatest influence of this but I am  becoming more aware every day that I need to be aware that even this has its negative consequences.
The main one being difficulty in communicating with others.
When I began seeing that what the visible church says isn't actually in the Bible, this had a profound effect on me.
Oh sure, many single verses read by themselves can say anything anyone wants them to say. But so much that's said in christian circles is not anywhere in Scripture. But it takes time to see that.

So I ask myself , after years of asking questions (something else people find annoying).. is my relationship with Jesus stronger.
The only way I can answer yes to that is if I know where to draw the line with verse by verse preachers. That takes time as well.

Our views and upbringings and past influences, along with how we interpret those influences (later in life) will lead us to many troubling areas if not kept in check.

For instance , I was raised in a home where talking was not encouraged. So over time I developed a need to explain myself to those I knew. I suppose this was my early idea of adding context to things, forgetting the fact that people don't want context.
This thinking  would not serve me well as I grew older. Because at about the same time I was wanting to explain myself , the culture around me stopped caring. Not a good combination for conversing with others. ( someone who wants to explain + talking to those who don't care)
Before I had a chance to figure this all out along comes social media. Here people can talk all they want and it didn't matter if people cared or not. All that mattered was that the one talking (on social media) "thought" that others cared.

Fast forward to today.

 Now I understand the value of context. I understand when to apply it and when not too. It's a tricky balance, one I'm still working on.
Unfortunately though, by the time I'd figure this out, a reputation has stuck too me. That's ok though. In this culture, it's easier to build reputation than it is to build relationships.

So how do we fix this? The short answer is, we don't. I suppose, until we sense that something just isn't right 
about the way we've been doing things, life will go merrily on.

(this explains it nicely)

 But for me it's a matter of getting my priorities straight.
 Loving God.
 loving my wife.
 Pretty good combo.
By getting back to the real meaning of relationships, this is a good place to start. I have many friends I can count on to be there when I need them but I only have one friend who defines true relationship. My next post will center on that..

Till then, grab that Bible & tryreadnit!

Easter! can ya relate to that?

So, this past weekend was Easter.

A time with family.
A time for reflection.
Well, for the believer in Jesus it's a time for reflection.
I'm not sure what non Christians think of this holiday.
I've often wondered if non Christians ever question the ridiculousness of painting eggs and hiding them.
Or are these events the same as most things in their lives that we don't understand.
They just don't question it. Not publicly anyway.
But in private, do they ever wonder?

Truth is, Santa Clause and the Easter bunny ya just don't mess with. Christian or not. Those two things top the list of things you leave alone. Unless you want a fight on your hands.

We say, how dare we deny our children the same fun we had? Never considering that maybe 'we' were mis guided.
Besides, fun is fun and whose gonna challenge fun?

Only ones I can think of that might challenge this are those who are tired of all the nonsense our American culture dishes out, in every capacity of life.
From politics to religion.
From media to music.
Nothing gets left out.

Maybe I identify "nonsense" as all the stuff we've handed down to our kids that we never questioned ourselves.
We just kept going with flow never sensing all the garbage that this "flow" picks up as it moves faster along from one generation to another.
And with every new version of whatever comes along we just accept it.

 These days we  think different. We comprehend different and interpret different.
But these differences we have didn't happen overnight.
The things that influence us is forever changing.
Now try connecting that to something (the Christian faith) that 'never' changes.
Not an easy trick.
We "think" that's a  trick but it's not.

This post is just some random thoughts as I think on and consider how Easter has been conveyed to Christians over my life.
It may not seem important but when we look at what we have , years and decades later , I cant help but wonder what happened.
Maybe not everyone struggles with things as I do ( I am sure that's the case) but whether its  being broken over my sin or in awe of our wonderful Savior, finding out what that truly means is something I desire most of all.
I wont find that in the local church. I wont find it in books or movies. Those things are good but they all are designed to bring a believer to a quiet place before God. If the goal of all the things we use , that we think will bring us closer to God , isn't closer communion with God , then what good are they.
Sometimes I think that I will do anything the Christian culture offers just to avoid the one on one closeness God wants from me.
I am thankful for all the resources available today , to strengthen our walk with God.
But unless we are willing too get alone with God , the years spent in modern Christian culture can have a believer spinning their wheels a long time.

So what causes some of the disconnect or confusion?

CAN YA RELATE TO THAT?

People today, young and old, feel that everything they take in, by way of information (concerning any topic or issues) must somehow "relate" to 'them.'

If the things we discuss don't "relate" to us they are either ignored or deemed irrelevant.

Not too long ago I was chatting with someone and at some point I mentioned something about church persecution.
He gave me a puzzled expression and  I asked why he was puzzled.
It turned out that he knew nothing about Christians being persecuted. Had no clue that was occurring anywhere.

I Was shocked at that. How can Christians being killed for their faith go unnoticed?
I think it has to do with the fact that ,  we all hear what's happening but people , specifically  Americans, can't "relate" too it.

There are plenty of of things people can't "relate" to and most of its in the news media.

My friend couldn't comprehend Christians being killed because he couldn't "relate" to that and there's no way to make persecution "relatable" unless we actually go thru it.

(ahhh, there is a clue in that last comment.)

This mindset (relating to things)  has settled in the visible church and there's no better time to see that than at Easter time.

God's Word (or the Bible) has much in it that we can't "relate" to.
So.. Over time the preaching of it (the Bible) changed.
It had to change with communication changes & how people interpret things.
As attention spans grew shorter and narcissism grew bigger, how the Bible gets preached changed.

It doesn't matter if God's Word was preached by topics or preached verse by verse.
The main thing became whether or not the one hearing the preaching could "relate" to it or not.

It's almost as if not being able to relate to things is a crime in this country.
There are many things I can't relate too.
I can't relate to liberal thinking.
I can't relate to criminal thinking.
And yes, there are huge chunks of the Bible I can't relate too.


I said earlier that Easter was a good time to observe how preaching the Bible has changed.
That's when Eisegesis is in high gear

.
I've  made mention of this many times on this blog. I'll put a definition of Eisegesis at bottom of this post.
Applications to our lives that occurs in the Bible is real and serious stuff.
But tremendous liberties have been taken when pointing them out.
Churches apply scripture to our lives all the time. The only way to know if what there saying is accurate is to have an understanding of what the entire is all about. If you don't grasp the Bible's true meaning  you could be  believing anything from our words  can create reality to tithing is a commandment.
(ever hear someone ask you to sow a seed into their ministry? I'll bet you thought that seed was money)


Anyway, a fancy word for mis applied Bible applications to our lives is eisegesis.

All it is, is.. Let's say we are discussing the resurrection and we get to the part where the stone is rolled away.
Then I pause and ask you 'what stones you need removed in order to get to Jesus.
Or David and Goliath and Goliath represents your problems.
Or Habakkuk asking you to write your vision on a tablet. (in chap 2)
Or Solomon is telling you your vision will perish (in ch 29)
Or even that you will prosper because Jeremiah says so. (ch 29)
That's eisegesis.
That stone is just a stone. Goliath is just a giant and those visions aren't yours personally.
The points that were made were  good points but making the stone and giants   something they aren't  has had many un intended effects on how the rest of the Bible gets read.
These effects, btw, are sub conscious. We don't even know they're happening.

It's not exactly heresy preaching this way, but sometimes it can be.
It helps in a big BIG way learning how to recognize it when it happens, and it happens all the time. Discerning this becomes a weary endeavor.


Something happens when Gods Word is talked about like this. When we make details of a biblical story, such as a stone, apply to us.

Applying scripture to our lives is a daily occurrence with believers. When applying these passages to our lives, much caution is needed m
When this occurs in a large group setting, such as a church service,  its much different than when it occurs in our private quiet time with God.

(my wife likes this method)


When we are alone with God we can ask "God, what are you saying to me from this passage?
Whatever the answer is, that's the application.
At other times, when we ask God" what are you saying in this passage " He" reveals " things to us.
Maybe what the passage means or maybe some sin in our lives.

Quite often, we are so busy looking for applications that we miss God's revelation.

Think about it. Most applications we find we already knew.  We're just not doing them. Like in that example from the Easter story of the stone being rolled away (what obstacles do we have

People must think that the Bible is some giant band-aid that needs to be "applied" to the wound of life.

God's revealing His Word deals with things we don't know. Or worse yet, things we don't want to know.
Things we naturally resist, in our sinful flesh.

Applying scripture to our lives has "us" doing the looking.
Revelation from God is all God.

Yes, we can ask God to reveal life application, but is that what God wants to reveal?

Much of what God reveals is not exactly what we want to hear. In the flesh anyway.
For the believer in the Holy Spirit, it's all we want to hear.

Let's be careful when applying scripture to our lives.

Gods Word is filled with descriptive passages (or passages that describe certain things)
But when these descriptions are used as prescriptions for our lives, confusion can occur here.

When the Bible is continually read like this in a church setting,  everyone in the congregation is now thinking different. They are thinking of themselves.
On one hand we are told that Jesus Himself removed that "stone" by rising from the dead that third day . Then almost immediately we are now thinking of which stones we need to be removing. Then we are reminded that we cant remove the stones in our lives nor do we need to.
And back and forth it goes.
Passage after passage, scripture after scripture , year after year.

The only thing I've found to correct any confusion that reading ourselves into the Bible creates  is verse by verse, line by line preaching.
I'm thankful that there are still men who rightly handle God's Word.
Eisegesis occurs even when the Bible is taught verse by verse but it's better understood in that setting.
The points being made aren't the main points. (that's not the same in many places)
By putting these passages in context , any reading of ourselves into the text seems to be diminished. The clear context is dominating .

Many churches can get away with mis applying scripture for several reasons.
1) the entire passage rarely gets read.
2) people do not fear God anymore

Somehow, in ways I can't explain, the attempts at making the death & resurrection more relatable me (or any Bible descriptive narrative)  has created some un intended effects.
The Easter story gets watered down.
It's no longer about just my sins being forgiven but it's also about me getting rid of the stones in my life. David's life is not only a type and shadow of Jesus , his life also represents me.

True believers know the difference. They know the true meaning.
When I post like this , my pointing out how our Bibles get read is not a matter of salvation.
My point is, much time is given to making the Bible relate to us.
This clashes with the understanding that there's no way we can relate to much of the Bible.

The true message of the entire Bible is overwhelming so by definition I'm not going to relate to it.
On the other hand, human beings can best help one another as we relate to one another.
Example : an ex drug user helping someone on drugs.
But does that principle apply to reading God's Word? I'm not so sure anymore.

Christians have the ability to get things backwards.
To illustrate that :
I'm reminded of when one of our children, when they were a teenager, told us of how they could relate to their friends better if my wife and I were divorced.
After picking myself up off the floor upon hearing such a ridiculous notion, I suggested that if their friends parents stayed married, THEY could better relate to them (our child)
You see, my children had it backwards.
They thought that they , being the minority , needed to relate to their friends , who were the majority.
Christians think that the Bible is some tough book to understand and that we need to have years of schooling to comprehend it. So to counter for that we unknowingly created a desire to relate to much of it and the parts that we cant relate to , we tend not read. And that is sad.
Those passages  that do not relate to us NEED to be kept in context.  

As for Christians it's not so much much me relating to God as it is God relating to us.
Isn't that what Jesus did?

I can either try to relate to that or be overwhelmed by it.

By the way, that story of one of our children suggesting divorce  happened over ten years ago and I'm glad to announce that my wife and I didn't take that suggestion  and we will soon celebrate 32 years together.

Confusion is not the desired effect of many good preachers but given the way we feel this need to have everything we hear relate to us, this changes how Gods Word gets communicated .
There is clearly a fine line between things being about me and things being for me.
I think that over the course of my walk with God I have crisscrossed that line many , many times.

All I know is , when Exegesis is applied to line by line , verse by verse preaching, things come into focus. This may not be the case for other believers but for me it is.
By understanding Gods Word in context, that is what brings on the application to my life.


Many people tell me I am over thinking things like this .
I am not saying what's right or what's wrong with todays visible church. That is far to complicated to even begin to discern completely. Even when the Bible is preached with wrong motives , people can be convicted by the Holy Spirit of their sin. So who's to say? Not me.
The best we can do is recognize it when it happens.

[ this next clip is from a popular ministry.  When ministries build their theology on both Exegesis & Eisegesis, confusion is sure to follow. Much wisdom &  discernment is needed in  recognizing it]

*there is no biblical foundation for this thinking anywhere in Scripture. Christians beware : this thinking is dangerous.!  This is what the Bible means when it speaks of "scratching itching ears."





All I know is , there are two approaches to the Bible I have now been subjected to.
The first one is where the emphasis is on me.
The other is where the emphasis is on Jesus.
One finds "life lessons" in every passage.
The other has all scripture pointing to Jesus.

I can understand how my posts might be misunderstood.
Sounds like sometimes I'm looking for blame or trying to find something wrong no matter what it is.
We can't blame the influences of our culture had on us.
All most people want, myself included, is truth. Just give it to me straight.
Truth is out there. And when God reveals it you never forget it.


By not understanding how communication has changed , we can miss so much.
If there is any relating to be had between me and what the Bible says, it is with the ugliness of sin mentioned throughout.
When a believer considers that if it were not for the grace of God, they too could be the worst of sinners.
Believers can read about awful things. (in that Bible) They can read stories about murder and incest and even pagan idol worship.
If we must find ways to relate to our Bibles, try relating to that because if it were not for the grace of God, we too would be involved in the things that disgust us.

Now, on the flip side of that , take those passages we currently can not relate too , like Job , which in our minds is a depressing book.
But think of Jesus as He was praying in the garden of Gethsemane when reading all what Job says.
The Psalms is this way too.
These were Jesus' sentiments .
Understanding this makes the Gospel even more glorious and incomprehensible .
Sometimes I think this is why Heaven needs to be for eternity.
It would take that long to express thanks for Gods Love.

These are the things we miss when we read ourselves into every passage.

Learning how to read God's Word is important but growing spiritually is more important.
What that means is knowing when something has run its course and move on.
My spiritual growth is threefold.
1) it begins with putting our faith and trust in a risen Savior for our sins.
2) reading all God's Word. Commentaries and discernment podcasts can help there.
3) after learning how to read God's Word, take a break from all the commentaries & verse by verse teaching and just get alone with God in prayer and His Word.

I'm moving and growing in that third area. This has been a fifty year journey for me,  so don't be in a hurry.
Simply..... tryreadnit!

Spring has sprung/ March thotz/time to move on

Spring is here. A truly welcome site. This past winter was mild for many of us but let's face it. Winter is winter.
Actually, we have had several mild winters in a row. I can remember winters where it was one noreaster after another accompanied by frigid air for what seemed like forever. But these things run in cycles so we should enjoy the mild winters when we have em.

The best thing about the seasons is its constant reminder of the Gospel.
Death & resurrection can be seen in so much of nature but most folks miss it entirely.. It's easy to miss in this fast paced culture.

Spring is a time for new beginnings. I wonder if that's why I'm thinking I need to take this blog in a new direction.
Ever since I began this, my focus has been threefold.

1) Why isn't the Bible preached in its entirety ?

Ever since my first time thru the Bible, ten years ago,  cover to cover, I noticed the visible church wasn't teaching what it actually said. I grew up in the church yet the things I was taught or what I learned always seemed "off" or somewhat abstract in nature. In other words anything could apply to what I was hearing .

Whether it was my favorite radio ministry or from any pulpit, God's complete message was somehow taking on something "different."  I just couldn't put my finger on what it was. Those I used to listen too sounded so sincere. They sounded as though they knew what they were talking about. After all, their the ones who went to seminary, not me, so I would spend years, decades even just figuring I wasn't bright enough to get it. One thing I knew for sure was, the problem wasn't the Bible.

Then one day I started listening to the Bible on audio. It didn't take long to discover that I never heard any of this before. This might be because we were taught to read our Bibles wrong. We read them in broken up segments , isolated stories which can apply to a variety of issues . No other book gets treated this way , except for maybe a dictionary.
But Gods Word is a continuous stream of thought dealing with only one theme that runs from cover to cover . Gods theme is to restore things.
We do not comprehend things this way due to our self centered nature.
We have chopped up Gods Word into so many small pieces , its hardly recognizable anymore.

 So the problem wasn't the Bible. The problem was, this Book isn't preached anymore. Huge sections never get read. Or the church just says, read it yourself. And in truth, that is correct. But also in truth is , people know most don't have or take the time. The underlining thought that was developed over the decades was that many of the books of the Bible were not important enough to read in church. The only time minor old testament prophets were referred to was when someone was trying to get people to give more money or some such thing as that. Without anyone ever noticing, scripture became sub points to a sermon. In other words, the sermon was the main meal and scripture was an appetizer.

Thankfully I have found there to still be congregations that do feel it is important enough to read the entire Bible.

What a difference this makes.

The best way to see this difference is by comparing line by line preaching to sermon topical preaching. Now this might take several months of comparing to "get it" so if you are in a hurry, forget it.

It takes time to notice how people communicate with one another.

Some people communicate by saying you have a problem and here is what you need to do"

Others communicate by saying you have a problem and this is what God did"

I have found that most people in this culture do not like being told what they need to do.

Too many factors go into this so clarifying this might be a problem.

I will address this in my second point. It has to do with the agendas of the one speaking to you.

Those who preach line by line are more accountable to the Bible itself.

Those who preach topical sermons , using random scriptures are more accountable too (not much)

Nine out of ten times, those random verses used are not even talking about how they are being used by preachers . But most people don't ask so they never know.

I myself still love topical preaching. But I can assure you that my discernment radar is on high alert and I always check what is being said. I have promised myself I will not be fooled again.

This is all I am cautioning others on. Enjoy your favorite book or preacher. But please, do yourself a favor. Take a few minutes to research what you are reading or listening too.

When we forsake the reading of Gods Word ,church's  can  become what some call group therapy. This is when the Bible becomes a self help book. The same people come week after week with problems and they are reminded constantly that they are never quite good enough. They are exhorted to just keep trying. This is "law" preaching at its finest. Portions of scripture are pulled out of context to address any number of problems.

I guess this is what happens when Gods entire Word is not clearly read or understood.

 The  point is , this entire  Bible is not be being preached. If this is the case, then what is being preached?

Little did I know how dangerous a question that would be.

2) How did the abuse of Gods Word occur ?

 So I began asking questions. How can this happen? Was I the only one who felt this way?

God led me to the answers slowly. The abuse of scripture has many elements.

Agendas top the list. The way I define that is : whatever a person is thinking every time the approach the Bible, chances are good that they are going to want you to think that too.

Now agendas can be nice sounding things. Like "church growth" or "Kingdom living" or "getting people saved"

What could be wrong with those?

Those are Bible ideas aren't they?

Well, yes they are, but the way agendas operate is by isolating biblical principles and preaching them accordingly.

In doing so the entire Bible now needs to fit into the agenda. When that's done, the Old Testament stories (for example)  become abstract. Like in the account of David and Goliath and the giant becomes your problems. Nice sounding idea but far from the intended meaning.

Since there are as many agendas as there are stars in the sky you can see how this can be a problem.

Of course, the biggest agenda in this narcissistic culture of ours is "you."

People think the Bible is about them so they read it accordingly. And why not? This is the way it gets preached week after week.

The best way to combat agendas is with context. Reading the Bible in its context and comparing it to what you've been hearing is truly eye-opening. It's then you will need to either choose between the inconsistent nature of religion or the consistent message of God.

Context will put back all those isolated biblical principles where they belong.

Once that is done you can now compare God's Word in context to what you've been hearing for many years.

It won't take long to see that it's not "what's" being  said but "how" it's being  said.

This makes spotting the severe abuse of God's Law and gospel much more recognizable.

The way I define this abuse of law & Gospel is (in its simplest form)

preaching to the non Christian what he doesn't want (the gospel)  & preaching to the Christian what he can not do. (the law)

When a believer begins to see what the purpose of the law is and connect that with the role of the gospel, things begin to click as to what went wrong in the visible church.

Language is the key to spotting this abuse. Twisting words is a favorite method of this abuse. This is extremely subtle though. That's because these twisted Scriptures appeal to our human nature and emotions. Trying to reason with that is no easy task.

For the non Christian that emotion is anger (to what the Bible says)

For the Christian the emotion is tied to pride simply because they tend to make the Bible all about 'themselves ". They won't admit that but most people usually won't. It's all in the language. Its all in perspective. People read the Bible with themselves as the primary factor. This twists every aspect of the Bible , from prayer to relationship.

For example : people like to say "I call Jesus my friend" (thereby making us something so special  and that we somehow initiate this friendship)

When in truth it should be said Jesus calls me friend (thereby causing us to wonder why He would do that because if we know anything at all about this Bible, it reveals that we are not as wonderful as we think we are. But people do not read it from that perspective)

Since people read the Bible with themselves primarily in mind, all of the passages become abstract.

People read from a perspective that goes from us (or me) reaching out to God.
This mangles any and all passages.
The Bible runs the line that sees God reaching down to mankind.
Many will never understand this , so quite often I give up trying to explain it.
People "think" its a moot point .
Context fixes this but it takes a long time. People in this modern American culture wont take the time.

The Bible is not about me or you!

It is about Jesus alone. All the stories. All the characters. Everything being types and shadows of Jesus. Any other way makes these types and shadows about you along with being about Jesus.

And in this self absorbed culture of ours, which one do we think will get precedence?  

The consequences of this  selective, cherry picking method of reading our Bibles has made itself known in every aspect of Christian culture. From literature to music.

What's most remarkable to me is that so many heresies can be seen so clearly, just by reading the Bible as it was intended.

As a book!

3) What happens in us when Gods Word is handled properly

Several things:

1) The first thing that will happen after your first time thru the entire Bible is, you can't wait until you read it again (an again and again.) You might find yourself listening to it as you jog or work or just take a trip to the store and back.

2)Another thing that happens is, we begin to talk about the Bible more , in casual conversation and this really annoys people. Even other Christians. You will bring up Bible examples in conversation concerning practically anything. This is because you have Gods Word on your mind constantly, and that's good.  

3) We tend to step back and look at history as a whole. We begin to think generationally.

In other words, we can see the effects in our culture due to past generations influences.

We see in Gods Word the importance of generations and the importance of family. Today people think history goes back to when they were born.

4) we begin to think more about Israel. This is huge. People do not think like this . It is next to impossible to understand the Bible if we have no real respect and admiration for the Land of Israel.

If people read straight thru this Bible and don't wonder why God spent so much time giving us information on Israel , something is wrong. People are so busy trying to apply all these accounts of Israel to their lives (thanks to modern preaching) they miss big time what it is all about.

5) we begin to understand that we have a King. Here again, people do not think this way. 

And we are all subject to that King.

But the modern church tried to make "subjects" or servants of people BEFORE preaching the sovereignty of God.  That is backwards.

It is in our sinful nature to resist violently,  being subject to anyone. Whether its kids to parents, wives to husbands or man to God. Mankind resists serving anyone.

If we do not understand our sin and if we do not see the Holiness of God, then why would we want to serve this King?

People just do not think this way.  But God does. One thing for sure, depending on how long a person has gone to modern church, will determine how much junk they must rid their minds of when it come too the concepts of the Land of Israel and Believers being ruled over by a King. Preachers have played fast and loose with those two subjects and nearly none of what they preach appears anywhere in the Bible. But it sure sounds good.

Yes, we have a King. Now. Not later but Now. This King is the very same King Israel rejected just prior to them demanding a king of their own.

Just because they could not physically see their King (God) they rejected Him.

But guess what? God fixed all that by doing what He said He would do.

Now Jesus is our King, sitting on the throne at this very moment. But , just like Israel of old, just because we can not physically see this King, we too reject Him.

But this time it will be in favor of a one world type leader.

Strange how things repeat themselves,

But living life knowing that we serve a sitting on the throne King (Jesus) right now will definitely change the way we think, guaranteed.

.

Not understanding Israel and not knowing we have a King , are two key factors in not understanding our Bibles

6) After a considerable amount of time, reading God's Word thru, "words" begin to have meaning again. And when words have meaning, concepts now have meaning.

In today's culture, words have no meaning and concepts are whatever people  want them to be.

7) By reading every word of the Bible , even without knowing it we are adding context to it.

You will begin to wonder why Israel is mentioned so much (this means you are on the right track)

You also begin to wonder why so many of the passages you thought were about you , really aren't .

You might begin comparing what you are reading to what you have been hearing and it might disturb you that the two are not the same.

8) When a believer gets to a point where they are slowing everything down as a way to better understand things, I cant lie to ya and say that things will get easier. just the opposite .Things will get harder. That is not a bad thing though. Keep in mind , most people operate on feelings and experiences. The Bible does not promote that.

I can safely say that my life was so much better before I began comprehending this way.

Keep in mind, I say that from a sinful selfish point of view. That view seeks to avoid any confrontation. That view seeks to avoid anything that remotely make them feel uncomfortable. That view does not want to rock the boat. This view goes with the flow. Does no research (because its to hard) This view asks few questions and assumes much.

So then what is the advantage of slowing things down then? Simple.

Peace of mind that is real.

So many religions and philosophies say the same thing but deep down , they do not have any peace at all. It is hard work , suppressing the truth day in and day out.  

9) Reading Gods Word also creates undesirable effects to be aware of. We tend to become critical. This can not be avoided but much prayer is needed at this point.

There are reasons the visible church avoids the major and minor prophets in the Bible.

These warnings do not fit the modern template created in the visible church.

Since Gods Word is much more harsher than I could ever be, it is not me people get frustrated with.

I can assure you that if the entire Book of Jeremiah was properly read and understood , people would reconsider much of what they believe. Not too worry . A majority of church's would not touch the entire Book of Jeremiah with a ten foot pole. Only select verses ever make most sermons. What happens when believers find out that much of what they love , God hates?
This is truly eye opening.

But people are so used to  combing the worlds methods to their own thinking by adding Christian language to it, or they simply ignore it all together.

God has a lot too say about this but many people will never know. These people are the ones who think Jeremiah is telling them that God has a plan to prosper them. If it weren't so sad it would be laughable.

But trust me , from the worlds standpoint , it does not get better from there.

10) But from Gods viewpoint, the joy and peace and excitement reach heights unimaginable. And this awaits the believer who reads Gods Word in context, as it was meant to be read.

The more you read and pray and understand, the further from the world and from the visible church you will become. .

People today have no clue as too how awful this thing called pride is. Gods Word in context changes that. And trust me, this is tough stuff. Finding out how you truly are is not for the faint of heart. However bad you think you are ( and most don't think they are too bad) its far much worse than you can imagine. If that sounds bad than all that means is that you truly don't get it.

I challenge anyone, I dare them even , to read that Bible from cover to cover.

When you finally do the best thing in the world awaits you. And that best thing is Clarity of mind!

Take the focus off of you and put it with Jesus and find out if that's not true.

I've narrowed it down to those 3 things but frustration over Christians saying whatever they want eventually got to me and this blog was a good place to express that frustration along with some understanding of it.

The visible church works best in the subjective abstract realm. Asking Christians what they mean by the things they say or post online is not accepted to well. They don't know why they believe what they do.

I probably spent more time than was needed trying to figure that out. If someone is serious in wanting to know what has happened in the visible church, God will show you. But it will take a long time so be patient.

I have been sensing lately that it is time to move on. What I mean is , basically it just boils down to people do not research what they read or watch or listen too. People talk so fast these days and most people only discern by what feels right to them at any given moment. Christian or not , we all think this way.  This allows any wind of doctrine to take hold. Whether or not it makes sense or not is not a factor.
All I have been doing , since that first time thru the Bible , is slowing things down and putting issues back into context.
It does not only have to be the Bible we put in context. Any issue of the day can be seen more clearly when context is added. For example, people have all kinds of beliefs about this country but these same people have no clue how it operates or where it originated from.
I love it when someone interviews a demonstrator at , lets say, a global warming event and when they are asked what is global warming they have no clue. This is so typical today , in every arena and especially the visible church.

I thank God all the time for the many good resources I have found in helping me grow spiritually. I shared most of them on this blog and my other blog.
But I need to put into practice all I am learning.

I will keep posting on this blog but I need to focus on the other blog I started (link)
The difference (to me) between these two blogs is, one asks "how did this happen" and the other asks "what do I do now"
The second blog has a lot of video and audio on it. Things that are not mainstream Christian. Its like if you were sifting for gold , that blog is what's left after all the dirt an grime is gone.
Since no one anywhere has a perfect theology , we need to know how to sift thru the areas of different doctrines to get what's scriptural.
There is a big difference between teaching Gods Word from differing perspectives and teaching clear unquestionable heresy. For example, those who endorse the Shack or read from the Message or other books such as Jesus calling or love wins demonstrate a lack of research of who puts this out.
I am giving them the benefit of the doubt there.
We need to know the difference and that is what my other blog is for. That and more. But for sure , it is not mainstream.

When I say I want to move on , what I mean is, I seem to have become obsessed with learning all the ways people use to manipulate someone else. In most cases , people don't even know they are doing it. I know I didn't , in myself. But when I look back now, over the years , I can see clearly how I also played word games with friends and family.
My wife used to call this passive aggressive behavior and since at the time I did not even know what that meant I assumed her to be wrong.
The hardest thing to come to grips with , that she was right. Funny how we can see these easily in others but not ourselves.

Moving on just means, I gotta let go of my frustration at myself for being so foolish. I need to repent of trying to play God by trying to fix everyone's problems or in my thinking that I know all the answers. I want to take the phrase having a relationship with Jesus out of the abstract realm and make it real. This takes time.
Time to rid our minds of all the junk we have been putting into it for years.

Even though that other blog I do is still a work in progress , please check it out sometime.
http://www.trylivenit.com/?m=0
That blog is for serious searchers for Truth.
I need to focus more on that. I am getting ready to post thoughts on how this culture has mutilated the area of "Kingdom." 
Why do we make the simple so complicated?
God Bless.
tryreadNit!