Starting Out
It is not uncommon for people to come upon times in their lives when they wonder about these questions on their own:
Who am I?
Where did I come from?
What am I supposed to be doing here?
Is there a possibility I could go somewhere else when I leave here?
Is there a God?
No one tells us to wonder about these things, they sort of automatically cross
our minds in one form or another.
The ones who take these questions with any degree of seriousness are like lost sheep looking for a shepherd to help them out. Then there are those who do not consider taking these questions to any depth. Like goats who are more interested in satisfying their own definition of of what their needs are.
The scriptures go back to the beginning and are a good place to find out the answers. Organized religions are man's attempt to answer these things but all of them are tainted by the built in failure of asking a man (who is just as weak as you are) for these answers.
We really need someone who doesn't fit the description of mankind to do this. That's where the Son of God comes in.
It's not quite complete that we just only see our sins as forgiven because of what He
accomplished on the cross,
( Yes that is the most wonderful thing ) - but - ( also and just as important )
is what having our sins forgiven sets us up to receive.
( All the answers to those questions above )
Now, ( Because of Jesus death on the cross, resurrection from death, and the shedding of His Blood. ) by faith we can receive a personal relationship with God in the Holy Spirit, ( By being baptized in the Holy Spirit ) who will reveal the pictures that the scriptures really paint, and reveal the real intent of our being..
The Holy Spirit is: , The life changing power that is from, and of the Kingdom of Heaven.
God’s Book of Clues
If I were to re-name the Bible, I would call it God’s Book of Clues. Why? Because at face value it cannot be understood. Organized Religion can at best try to translate the meaning hidden in it at face value, and even has much trouble trying to do that! It must be spiritually discerned. It is written in parables. Jesus spoke in parables. The Scriptures are all clues to the reality of the Kingdom of Heaven as it relates to mankind. All the writings in it are hidden pictures that can be understood only when you have the “Keys” to unlock and understand them. Jesus said: “ Behold , I will give to you
"
the keys of the kingdom ”
The Holy Spirit and Jesus are the “ Keys" of the Kingdom of Heaven
Where the responsibility Rests
Let's say you are in good physical shape and You get exercise and eat responsibly but you have friends who really would like to lose 30 lbs or more. You could exercise and work out all day for them, and as much as you would like for it to benefit them, it can't. You can prepare yourselfself the healthiest foods and eat them daily, but that won't benefit them either. They have to do their own working out and be accountable for their own eating habits before they will benefit.
Being fit, you can, however, safely show them where to exercise and you can show them where good food is available . The rest is their responsibility.
Spiritually, things are not much different. You could understand and perceive by means of the Holy Spirit, how to be enriched in understanding the Scriptures and wisdom of God, and if You were to share it all with them, they would receive no benefit either;
other than having their ears tickled.
Being spiritually fit, however, You can safely lead them to the Holy Spirit who will give them the Spiritual food, understanding, wisdom, and the strength they are looking for and need. The rest is their responsibility.
The Holy Spirit is: The trusted “ Inn keeper ” Whom Jesus left us in the care of until His return.
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit
From the beginning Satan seems to use the same illusion. He trys to convince others that by eating from that “ Tree of what’s good and what’s bad " that we will be able to please God and therefore verify a relationship with Him. We as a human race are still just as guilty as Adam and Eve of doing the very same thing they did in the Garden of Eden. If you listen to anyone’s conversation long enough, the "What’s good – What’s bad " part of it eventually will surface.
Even though we can understand the difference between good and evil , it is near impossible for flesh and blood to be obedient to satisfying it's requirements and so we seem to find it more convenient just to use it to judge others with .
It's interesting to note that in the Scriptures we find that there is only ONE reason that is acceptable for a Divorce to take place. Did you ever wonder why? Has it ever occurred to you that Lucifer's forced separation , by God, from Heaven is more like a divorce , than an eviction. After all, he was genuinely esteemed and beloved in Heaven at one time.
Adultery ~ Now, put aside your temptation to interpret this using that old " Tree of the knowledge of what’s good and what’s bad " ' Goggles ' . Adultery is a spiritual picture in parable form. It is a "picture" of : " Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit " - the only unforgivable sin, - here or in the Kingdom of Heaven . ( and also the only justified grounds for a divorce )
In other words, you shouldn't say you believe the Holy Spirit is the one capable of supporting your intimacy with God, and then be running off to someone, or something else to get that intimate security with God. It would be replacing the intimacy with the Holy Spirit and there seems to be a line hidden in there, that, if crossed, that could put you in the category of the “ five unwise virgins ” in the parable of the Ten Virgins.
Maybe that is one of the reasons why Satan has perfected the “ Harlot Church ” ( ' Organized Religion ' ). He continually lusts for your attention, and title to your heart. He knows that is how he lost his own relationship with God, and that is posssibly how he seduced 1/3 of the angels to join him. Satan knows what kind of deception it would take to “ Fool the very Elect of God. ” circumventing and intentionally by-passing the Holy Spirit, and replacing the Holy Spirit with something else. " Persuading others that they could establish a relationship with God by just by understanding the difference between Right and Wrong, (Good and Evil) , and pledging their respect to earthly men whom he has put in a place to interpret those things for them", Replacing the Holy Spirit, and artfully going behind the Holy Spirit's back. Yes, that's Adultery in it’s spiritual form. It is the picture that is spiritually painted in eating from the “Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil.”
A similar picture might be painted in the book of Job when God describes "behemoth" , as "chief " in the ways of God. Could this be a picture of the Harlot Church? Think about it.
The Holy Spirit is: The One whose merchandise is better than silver or gold, and more precious than rubies:
God's Gift from Jesus to us.
Proverbs 5:14 I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
Do you really feel safe with Organized Religion?
YOU Decide !
That is "religion" from the Heart. and No it's not for everybody ..... Just the lost sheep.
Jesus the same yesterday today and forever.
Would this mean not to have fellowship with other believers? No, it would not. What it would mean is that when you meet together with other believers, please do away with the "Titles of authority" the organized religious system has bestowed upon themselves.....Priest, Father, Bishop, Reverend, Pastor, Rabbi, Deacon, etc. It has always been that way among those of the world to have titles of authority but it should not be that way among us.
You also wouldn't refer to the place that you meet as the "temple" or the " so and so church" . Those of us who believe are the "church". Your body is the "Temple of the Holy Spirit". The place where you meet is nothing more than the building or house at a specific address. and you would practice keeping it that way.
The real sanctuary of the church is inside of you. All the believers are there 24/7 (all the time} what I'm trying to say is: Don't try to make a man made version of it. Meeting with other believers is "exactly what it says it is ..... Just meeting with other believers.
And don't confuse it with building a : {"Sunday go to meeting style church"} or it will bite you.
Pastor is not a "Title of position". It is a protective Function, not a "Title" of position.. What am I saying? An example would be dignitaries, ambassadors, etc. They all have a protective group...body-guards....if you will. The body guards do not stand in front of the dignitaries and preach to them! The body guards are functioning quietly in the background...
...(This is what a "PASTOR" should be doing)......watching for the bad guys. Are they friends with the ambassadors? I'm sure they are. Do they talk with the ambassadors? I'm sure they do. .Again...Bodyguards do not! .... do not! stand in front of Ambassadors and preach to them......
I know you can understand this. Their function is to warn you of the enemy when they see you are in danger, and to stop the bad guy. That is what the function of a True Shepherd is too.
"FUNCTION...FUNCTION...FUNCTION....FUNCTION......
....NOT ....
......TITLE...TITLE...TITLE...TITLE"
You could also be in a position for right now, where you cannot seem to find others who really love God with all their heart to meet with. That's OK . You have your relationship with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit. Remember that we are scattered all over this world right now. The getting together with others is not more important than your relationship with God, so don't let it become the master and spoil your intimacy with God.
When you would meet, if contention and strife came up, then you would know that these things were not of the Holy Spirit. If it was because you were really dealing with a "snake in the grass", then you would open your heart to the Holy Spirit and allow the Holy Spirit to show you how to handle that "snake".
I wonder if Eve knew she could handle that serpent in the Garden of Eden, but just didn't do it?
but ... you can do it now because Jesus said you can. Jesus also said you can heal the sick, so you would take time to pray for those among you by placing your hands on their head and asking God to heal them in Jesus name.. He would. It's not supposed to be a showy thing, it's just the way we are.
Consider the ant, . Watch its ways, and become wise.
Although it has no (visible) overseer, officer, or ruler,
in summertime it stores its food supply. At harvest time it gathers its food
.. ..Other links to click on.... A Mark of the Antichrist.......What if ?
The Gift or the Giver
Proverbs........What if?
Circumcision......What if?
Food for thought blogspot
Receive the Holy Spirit